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I shiver a little at the chill fall air, wishing suddenly that I bought a coat.
“Come on, Little Bird,” Knox ushers, wrapping an arm around me and turning me to face the new and incredibly beautiful wooden stables, distracting me from the heavy emotions threatening to drown me.
Or perhaps they should be called pony palaces—as I shall now refer to them as—they’re so luxurious. They’re already whitewashed, and the smell of new wood and fresh paint clings to the air as he leads me to them. There is still a row of stables with half doors, most of them fully open as various members of the Tailor gang carry in bales of new straw and other bits and pieces.
I see Tarl standing just outside of one, talking to a guy who has the same golden, sandy skin tone and almond-shaped eyes, though the man Tarl talks to looks older and has a face that seems like it rarely smiles. It’s currently set in deep frown lines.
Tarl glances up, spotting me and Knox, then hisses something at the man before striding over to us. I leave Knox and run up to him, throwing my arms around him and ignoring the dull throb in my ribs.
“Did you miss me,Koshgelam?” he teases in that low, sultry voice of his, his arms immediately pulling me close and wrapping me up in a tight hug.
“I always miss you,JigarTalâ,” I reply, nibbling my lips when he goes still underneath me. My cheeks flush. “Did I say it right? Apparently calling you my golden liver is a thing—” He cuts me off as his lips slam into mine, his tongue demanding entry. I open to him, moaning deep in my throat as his hands travel down to my ass and pull me closer, aligning our bodies so that his hardness is pressed against my stomach.
He pulls away, both of us gasping as his mismatched eyes home in on me, the look in them fierce and stealing what little breath I have.
“You said it perfectly,Koshgelam,” he praises, his voice breathless as his hands move up to my waist.
“Good, for a moment I thought Google had let me down.” I chuckle, my heart doing a silly flip-flop when he beams back at me. The man who Tarl was speaking to catches my gaze, and a chill makes me shiver. “Who is that guy?”
Tarl peeks behind him, Knox coming up next to us.
“No one,Aziz-e delam,” he dismisses as we all watch the man go over to one of the horse boxes and start talking to someone else who looks to be from that part of the world too. “Just someone who helped to transport the horses for Adam.”
“You okay?” Knox questions Tarl, and I look up as the two guys share a look, one that seems troubled as both their brows dip.
“Yes,” Tarl answers, dismissing the stranger and turning his gaze back to me, a small smile on his face. “Would you like to meet some of the new horses?”
My face splits into a grin then, not letting the strange man trouble me anymore as I nod my head. “I want to help.” Tarl and Knoxtskand my eyes narrow.
“Your ribs are still healing,Koshgelam, you can’t do any heavy lifting,” Tarl tells me, holding up a hand as I go to protest. “But I can show you how to brush the horses down. The quieter ones, while Knox does all the hard work.”
“Fucker, I fractured a rib too, asshole,” Knox huffs, punching Tarl on the arm and Tarl just chuckles.
“Serves you right for having all those silly man muscles,” I tease Knox as Tarl takes one of my hands and we walk towards one stable that has the bottom part of the door shut.
I don’t hear his reply as we stop in front of the stable door and a stunning horse pokes its head out. My breath stops in my chest as I take in the beautiful creature, its long eyelashes and liquid-looking eyes taking me in just as much. The thing that really catches my eye is its coloring; the horse is covered in hair that is a beautiful, ruby color that looks like it would glisten and sparkle in the sunlight.
“You like her?” I hear Aeron ask, and I see him come up on my other side, but I only have eyes for the beauty in front of me.
“Her?”
“Yep, she’s a mare, and as soon as Dad showed me a picture of her, I knew she would be perfect for you,” he tells me, going up to the door and reaching out. The mare immediately butts her nose up against his hand, already putty for him.Aren’t we all?
“For me?” I question them, finally looking at him as I take a tentative few steps forward and hold my hand out. She pushes her nose into it, and I gasp a soft laugh at how soft her coat is, just like the finest cashmere.
“She’s all yours, Little Bird,” Knox informs me, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me as I continue to stroke her muzzle.
“What will you call her?” Tarl inquires from beside us, and I’m amazed that she doesn’t rear back or startle, just stands there and lets us near. Although is it so surprising given my inability to be afraid of these men?
I study her, my head tilted to the side when a name suddenly pops into my head and my lips tilt up further.
“Firebrand. Her name is Firebrand.”
Jude
“We Won’t Leave You” by Steve Void
Looking around the room, I nod in approval at the work I’ve put in today to get it ready for my Nightingale. Paint splatters my hands and clothes, the walls still a tad wet, but I can’t wait to show my princess her new cage. Birds of all shapes and sizes fly across the walls, the color behind them the exact same shade of blue as her eyes—I checked.
