Page 76 of A Legacy of the Light

“I passed out, too. Feeling great this morning. Ready for our ride?”

“Yes,” I clap my hands and do a little jig, making Tavish laugh.

“Excited much?” he teases.

“I haven’t ridden since I was a teenager. I can’t wait for that rush again,” I tell him honestly.

“I’m sure you’ll give Mabel a good run.”

His pace is fast and I have to take two strides for every one of his. “Hey, can you slow down? Not all of us have giant legs,” I ask, not wanting to get out of breath so soon.

“It’s not my fault you’re a short-arse,” Tavish quips.

“I might be a short-arse to you,” I mimic his accent and he laughs hard. “But I’ll still out-ride you,” I challenge with a grin.

“Is that so?” He stops to face me as we approach the large wooden door that’s guarded on the other side.

He crosses his thick arms over his chest and I have to remind myself to not watch the way his body shifts when he does that. “Care to make it interesting?”

“What did you have in mind?” I ask, copying his stance and jutting my chin up to meet his intense stare.

“The winner gets to ask three questions. And no shit ones. I’m talking real, personal questions.”

“You’re going to regret that when I hand your ass to you.” I offer him my hand.

He takes it, shakes it once and then pulls me closer to him. “We’ll see about that.”

Tavish releases me but we stay locked in our standoff, both smirking and neither wanting to back down.

The tension between us pulls taut, and the pit of my stomach tightens just like last night when he kissed my cheek.

His eyes flick between mine, and briefly down to my lips. This close, I can see how his pupils dilate when my tongue involuntarily darts out to wet my lower lip.

“Let’s go then,” I say, breaking the energy between us.

Tavish doesn’t step back right away, glancing again at my lips before he turns and goes through the door. He greets the guards posted there, and I murmur a “Good morning” to them. To my surprise, they acknowledge my presence, and dip their heads slightly at my greeting.

We go through the palace and the kitchens, making small talk about how I’ve found Elfayne so far.

“I thought I asked you sooner about how things have been going. I’m sorry I haven’t checked in with you,” Tavish admits as we exit into the courtyard.

“You’ve done more than enough for me, Tavish. And after the attack, you had other things on your mind.”

I mean it. I have been busy myself, and while I always enjoy Tavish’s company, I appreciate the space he’s giving me. Things always seem to get intense whenever he’s around, so my heart rate and I are grateful for a break. Not to mention his father’s voice is always looming in the back of my head whenever we get too close—which seems to happen a lot.

The wind is stronger than yesterday, and I’m glad I decided on the sweater. I slip my arms through my coat and notice that Tavish is dressed in his usual black. His shirt is thicker than the others I’ve seen him in but I would still expect him to wear something warmer.

I voice my thoughts. “Aren’t you going to get cold?”

“No, I’ll be fine. Seelie don’t feel cold the same way humans do. But your concern for my health is sweet.”

I scoff and flip him off as we enter the stables. His laugh follows me as I step ahead of him, ready to greet Mabel. She is out of her stall and saddled up waiting for me. I knew she was a beautiful horse when I saw her a few days ago. Now I can appreciate her better. She’s tall, strong, and pure muscle, with white speckles running down her entire flank.

Next to her is a huge black stallion. He’s the same height as Mabel but much wider, and his chest is almost twice the size of the mare. A stable hand, who introduces himself as Fraser when I ask his name, is saddling him up.

“Is that your horse?” I ask Tavish.

“Aye, it is.”