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Theo’s eyes darken in anger.
“Why? You kill my men but keep the horses and me alive? Your tactics don’t make any sense,” he says through clenched teeth.
I step toward him, putting my face as close to his as he’ll allow.
“How many times do I have to tell you we didn’t kill your men? They died because your king failed to heed the warnings of Umbra. The Cypres protect this land from all intruders and Leopold knows that. He killed your men, not us,” I say, barely containing my frustration.
“What about me, Your Highness? Why keep me around? Why are you really doing all of this? Did your king send you to seduce me, or did you do that on your own?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.
My heart cracks as I stare up at him. His face twists in suppressed anger toward me and my kingdom. Nyx was right. No matter what I do, he isn’t going to listen. His mind is too clouded by all the lies fed to him by Lux.
“Have you been listening to anything I’ve been telling you over the past few weeks?” I ask, fighting back tears.
“Listening to your lies? No, I haven’t been,” he answers, taking a step back.
I‘ve had just about enough of his erratic moods.
I glare at him as I try to figure out what could break through to him.
The cemetery.
If he’s so concerned about his men, then let me show him how we respected them, unlike his beloved king.
“Ready to leave, Captain,” I order Theo as I turn to find Hiram to discuss our stop. He stands talking with the handler. I whisper in Hiram’s ear about stopping at the cemetery before heading to the village, and he nods.
Before we go, the handler gives us an update on the status of the stable. They need some minor repairs and adjustments, but overall, things are managing well with the additional fifteen horses. He informs me Midnight seems to enjoy spending time with the gray mare, and I look over to observe them.
I find Theo dangerously close to my overly aggressive horse, his outstretched palm ready to pet him.
“Theo, no!” I yell, sprinting toward them.
But I’m too far away. Midnight might just take Theo’s arm. He only allows me to touch him. All I can do is watch in terror as my horse walks to Theo with his head slightly lowered, appearing to stalk toward him. Midnight sniffs at Theo’s hand as if he’s assessing his flavor. Midnight’s black eyes scan to see if Theo is worthy of his time.
I stop dead in my tracks, causing Hiram to slam into my back, and we stumble forward. We watch as Midnight pushes his snout into Theo’s hand and closes his eyes, enjoying the feel.
“What in the realm?” I gasp, panting from fear as I walk hesitantly toward them.
My horse—straight from the Underrealm—who hates everyone except for me, is allowing the love of my life to pet him. Theo moves beside Midnight to pet both of his cheeks, and a deep rumble escapes the horse’s chest as if purring.
“Well, that’s ... strange,” Hiram says, just as shocked as I am.
I step over toward them, slowly.
“You have the biggest horse I’ve ever seen. For his size, he’s very gentle,” Theo says with a smile, the anger less noticeable now.
Hiram’s laugh booms through the open air, and I snicker as I step in front of Midnight, petting his face.
“His name’s Midnight, and he has bitten every person who has dared to touch him, except for me ... and now you.”
Theo’s eyes go wide, and he stops petting. This earns a very disgruntled snort from Midnight.
I give Midnight a kiss on his muzzle, and he returns it with a caress to my face. Theo’s gray mare steps beside Midnight, and he turns to greet her with a gentle nose touch.
“The handler said these two have been quite fond of each other since her arrival,” I say to Theo, and Midnight nods his head as if in agreement. I reach over and give the little mare a small pet on her cheeks.
“She’s the one you should be worried about. She tried to bite me the entire trip here,” Theo says with a huff.
I laugh as I rub gentle circles on her face.
