Chapter 8
Marianna leaned closer to her mare’s neck, urging her to gallop faster, to fly across the hard, packed earth. The wind tugged at her braided hair and the sun had already heated up, making the ride almost uncomfortably hot. But she didn’t turn back. Not yet. She needed to run and her mare, Stella, needed the exercise as well. Marianna could feel her mare’s need to stretch her legs and it was thrilling to feel the power between her thighs, to know that Stella’s speed would push all thoughts of last night’s kiss from her mind.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. Not this time. Normally, riding with Stella would clear out the cobwebs, allowing Marianna to think more clearly. But after a sleepless, confused night, Marianna still struggled with a whirlwind of emotions.
Stella reached the end of the trail and Marianna slowed the mare to a canter, then a trot. Stella would have gone further, but it was too hot right now. Stella needed to get back to the stables where it was cooler and shaded from the intense sun.
“Sorry, sweet girl,” Marianna soothed the still restless horse. “I’ll take you out again tonight, when it’s cooler, okay?”
Stella seemed to understand and flicked her ears. Obediently, the mare turned, heading back towards the stables. Since Stella still had some energy to release, Marianna tightened her legs slightly, urging Stella into a canter.
Unfortunately, the slower pace allowed Marianna to think again. She didn’t need to concentrate on the present and remaining on top of the mare. So, she let her mind wander, pondering the questions that had plagued her all night.
She remembered her first conversation with Amit. She’d been leaning against the stable fence, watching the horses frolic. She’d been so lonely back then. It had been right after she’d been brought to Lativa after her mother had died. Everything had been different and she’d missed her mother so much. Discovering that she had three big, obnoxious, overly protective brothers who were intensely busy with their own lives had been difficult as well. She’d rebelled at first, before slowly learning to accept. Still, it had been so hard to find her way in this new world.
Marianna remembered thinking that Amit might be one of the stable hands. She’d asked him how new horses were introduced to the herd. Marianna had been looking for clues on how to integrate herself into her new family.
Then he’d gone and wounded her soul by suggesting that she be traded for Tila and the twins.
Bastard!
There had been plenty more interactions over the years. Still, Marianna didn’t understand the man. And she definitely hadn’t understood his kiss last night!
What had Amit meant about contacting him when she was “ready”? Ready for what? What had that kiss meant?
Perhaps she should talk things over with Tasha or Tila. Marianna was even getting to know Helen, although she hadn’t known Raj’s wife for very long. She still felt more comfortable talking with Tasha, who had been at the palace when Marianna’s mother had passed away in Paris. Goodness, it had been a long time since that had happened. Marianna missed her mother, but the pain of loss had morphed over the years to fond memories. Right now, she could desperately use her mother’s loving, gentle advice. But Tasha was a good friend. Maybe her brother’s wife could give her some insight.
No, that would put Tasha into an awkward position. Tasha would have to tell Khal that Amit had kissed her last night. Although Khal was slowly coming to a more enlightened position regarding women’s need for equality in the world, he was still a bit of a Neanderthal when it came to his “baby” sister. The man still believed that women should be chaste until their wedding night, while men could go out and enjoy as many women as they desired. Thankfully, he was madly in love with Tasha so he had zero desire to stray.
And Marianna knew that Tasha would probably remove body parts if Khal ever strayed.
No, that wasn’t true. Tasha would never use violence. She would simply leave Khal and that would devastate him to his core. But they were too in love to harm each other.
That’s what Marianna wanted in a relationship. However, she was torn. She wanted to be more sexually liberal. She’d grown up in Paris and believed that men and women should treat sex as something healthy and vibrant. It shouldn’t be a taboo subject that was only enjoyed by men.
And yet, she’d never met a man who interested her sexually before. The men she’d met in her life so far had been…meh. None had been able to keep up with her intellectually. Plus, having spent the past several years surrounded by Khal, Raj, and Joran, she’d learned to appreciate men who took care of themselves physically. Her brothers loved to work out.
Amit was the first man who had challenged her intellectually and met her physical standards. Plus, after last night’s kiss, she accepted that she was incredibly attracted to him. There was no use denying it any longer.
There was just one little…major…problem: his offer eight years ago to trade for her. That had been one of the most insulting offers she’d ever heard. The awful man had reduced her to a piece of property. He hadn’t treated her like a person and that had hurt.
Lifting her chin, Marianna reached out and stroked Stella’s neck reassuringly. She knew horses could sense their rider’s moods and Stella’s ears were twitching. Apparently, Stella was extra sensitive today.
About halfway back to the stables, Marianna noticed Stella’s ears twitching more and the sweet lady picked up her pace. Because of the heat, Marianna urged her mare to slow down. She was already hot and sweaty. No need to court heat stroke. The mare had been one of the first presents Khal had given her, along with riding lessons, and the sweet lady had been the recipient of many of her diatribes about the unfairness of life when she’d moved to Lativa after her mother’s death. She wasn’t just a horse. Stella was her friend and closest confidant.
So, Marianna was understandably focused on Stella instead of paying attention to her surroundings. Which was why she didn’t hear the soft drone of the electric motorcycles coming up behind her. It was only when one of the drivers pulled up beside Stella, pointing a gun at the mare’s head that Marianna realized her danger.
Before Marianna could react, the man pulled her right off the mare. Marianna gasped at the pain in her shoulder when she hit the ground, stunned by the stones digging into her flesh. Before she could fight back, before she could react at all, the man taped her wrists and pulled a black bag over her head. For several precious moments, Marianna was too stunned and confused to do anything. She’d practiced self-defense moves over and over in the gym with her bodyguards and she’d thought she was prepared for something like this.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t. Before she could even think to fight back, her legs were taped up and she grunted as she was thrown over someone’s lap. A moment later, something sharp stabbed into her upper arm and…then, everything went black.