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“Give me a moment to get decent,” I say bluntly, and Ross draws his arm back before I can slam the door on it.
I know how sharks move once they scent weakness. I reappear in my new slate blue walking dress, unruffled by the disturbance. “Let’s see this betrothal gift.”
Ross elbows Darcy’s ribs. “She’s a feisty one, right?”
Darcy works her jaw. I can’t tell what she’s thinking. She doesn’t say anything.
Ross gives me another look that has my insides squirming. “You’re going to love this.”
I make the small talk that’s expected of me, asking for details about Ross’ journey and listening to his complaints about the extra time it took to travel from the docks on the eastern side of the island, due to the curfew.
“This whole ordeal with the stoor wyrm has really put a damper on the trading business,” he says. “I can’t wait until it’s all sorted.”
Darcy comes to a stop, spinning around as we’re about to reach the stables below the castle. The tension has been building in her shoulders the whole way down, but the mention of the stoor wyrm makes her snap. “I told you to shut up about that.”
“It’s fine, Darce.” He straightens his starched cravat. “No one’s around.”
“I need to know you’re serious,” she spits. “My crew must be able to work discreetly. Especially if we end up facing more than one creature.”
“How could that happen?” I ask, but my question is drowned out by their argument.
It doesn’t matter. I take a breath and feel myself floating away again.
I only come back to myself as Ross waves us into the stables. “My wife has turned me into a perfect gentleman, but I was born to hunt, just like you. Let me show you how committed I am to being on your team, old friend.”
If Ross is gifting me a horse, I might forgive him for being less of the gentleman he claims to be. I don’t appreciate his midnight visit, but I enjoy watching the long-legged animals run along the beach in the mornings.
I think riding one would feel like flying.
He brings us to the last stall and opens the door, showing us a precious creature curled up in the straw. “Here he is.”
“A baby horse,” I coo and squat down on my heels. “What’s his name?”
He lifts his snout, and water drips from his dark mane, raining down his black coat.
“That’s not a horse. Get away from that thing.” Darcy’s fingers dig into my arms, pulling me back to my feet. Her brow is set as she turns to Ross. “Why would you gift that to my betrothed?”
Frills cascade from the cuff of his sleeve as he places his fist beneath his chin. “I thought she’d appreciate a rare gift, and I’ve never heard of anyone catching a kelpie.”
“Because no one in their right mind would think that stealing a kelpie foal is a good idea,” Darcy says. “What are we supposed to do when it reaches adulthood and becomes a flesh-eating stallion? It’s a shape-shifter.”
I’ve heard of the lake-dwelling spirits before. Even in the sea, we whisper stories about the fearsome kelpies.
But this one seems so small and vulnerable. He sniffs the air, his red eyes landing on me like he knows I’m just as out of place as he is.
I form a message in my throat, but no sound comes out.
“Are you alright, Dee?” Ross asks as I clutch my neck. “Don’t you think a little iron will do the trick to tame him?”
“It might work,” I say, shaping my words carefully. “But what will we do if his mother comes looking for him?”
Ross tugs on his lace collar. “Oh…uh. We can cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“That’s a good point.” Darcy shoots me a smile, the first real one I’ve seen from her since our dinner with her family. It’s gone in an instant as she scolds her friend again. “And you’re as short-sighted as you’ve always been, but you do have a knack for hunting.”
Ross rubs the back of his head. “Does that mean I can join the excursion?”
“Just as long as you shut the fuck up about it,” Darcy says.
