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“You are such a spoiled brat.”
He snorts directly in my face. I laugh and rub the side of his neck, feeling the warmth beneath my palm. L’Oscuro is his official name, the dark one, but Oscar suits him better. He’s young, beautiful, powerful, and this will be his first racing season.
He’s also mine, at least in every way that matters.
“Well?” I murmur, checking his legs and running my hand carefully along his shoulder. “Ready to become a star?”
He tosses his head.
“That’s what I thought.”
I lean against him for a moment, smiling as he settles beneath my touch. For the first time in a long time, my life feels simple. I have a job I love. A horse I adore. A quiet little house on beautiful land. And absolutely no reason to get involved with the dangerous world I spent my entire life trying to escape.
Chapter One
Katya
I am furious.
Not mildly annoyed, not irritated enough to complain over coffee and get on with my morning. But genuinely, spectacularly furious. Because someone has decided that L’Oscuro is expendable, and I am going to personally explain to whoever made that decision why they are wrong.
“Tell me you heard wrong,” I say, staring at Miguel, one of the stable hands, across the stable aisle.
He gives me the look of someone who wishes he’d kept his mouth shut in the first place. “I only said what I heard, Katya. One of the grooms from the main house said Mr. M. was talking about selling L’Oscuro.”
My stomach drops despite the anger burning through me. “Did he actually say selling, or did he say something that sounded like selling?”
“I wasn’t there for the conversation.”
“Then it’s a rumor.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t.”
“Good.”
Miguel gives me a cautious smile. “You know, for someone who spends all day telling horses not to overreact, you certainly don’t take your own advice.”
I point a finger at him. “If you hear anything else about Oscar, you tell me before you tell anyone else.”
He nods, looking almost scared at my fierce expression. “I will.”
Good. That way they know I can be a hard-ass.
“And if Mr. M. is here today?” I ask with a raised brow.
“He is.”
That catches me off guard. “Here?” I glance toward the stable doors, then back at him. “Where?”
“The main house, last I heard.”
Perfect. I don’t bother saying goodbye.
L’Oscuro’s black head appears over the stall door as I approach, and the sight of him makes my chest ache in a way that has nothing to do with anger. He watches me with those intelligent dark eyes, ears angled forward, waiting for me to come closer.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I murmur as I step into his stall. “I’m already having a terrible morning.”
He nudges my shoulder.
