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Nevertheless, he made a beeline for me, snorting and moving his head up and down in greeting with his ears back because he was spooked by his unfamiliar surroundings.
Suddenly, the warlord was there, in between Samju and me, waving his arms and spooking Samju even more, who reared up on his hindlegs.
Even though I had never intended for him to go to the Thyres and become a warhorse, I had trained Samju as one, hoping he would one day make a great breeding stallion and bring in enough credits so my dad could retire.
Which was why he did what he was trained to do when the warlord approached him waving his outstretched arms. Samju's front legs extended, ready to strike the perceived threat down. He was even more aggressive than usual because he must have sensed me in danger, and in dismay, I noticed that somebody had sharpened his hooves—a Thyre custom before taking their horses to the battlefield.
A hard push against my side made me stumble backward and from the corner of my eyes, I noticed the other girls falling to the ground, piling into a great heap. I barely managed to avoid landing on them.
I noticed a large sword by the warlord's side and feared he would pull it any second to end Samju's life, and I threw myself desperately forward, at my horse, hoping to get him to put his legs down before he struck the warlord or before the warlord struck him with his sword.
"Samju, stop!" I called.
Impossibly, the warlord stepped back and stared at me through narrowed eyes. I hoped he realized that Samju was only trying to protect me, even though I didn't know how he would take that either.
Samju still held his ears pinned back and was snorting aggressively, but finally all four of his legs were on the ground, and I whispered, "You are a good boy, aren't you? Such a good boy."
Jorg and Matt, two of the handlers, rushed forward to take Samju's trailing reins, shouting obscenities at him.
Bertram cursed as he ran to my side, gripping my arm with a viselike grip, so hard I was sure it would bruise later.
Angrily, he yelled, "You stupid bitch! Now what have you done?" His free hand moved up, and I closed my eyes, anticipating a slap that would whip my head around, but instead a man roared, "Do not touch her!"
I opened my eyes and stared in disbelief at the warlord towering over Bertram and me, Bertram's wrist in his hand.
"Argh," Bertram cried out in pain, "please, I meant no disrespect."
"She is mine. Do not dare touch her!" the warlord bellowed. "She is my tribute."
His warning caused me to wince at the reminder of my new status in life.
"As you wish," Bertram choked out, managing a small bow while the warlord still held his wrist in an iron grip.
"Take the horses to the stables," he said, finally releasing Bertram's hand.
I turned, hoping to catch another glance at Samju, afraid it would be my last. My eyes burned and, to my astonishment, a single tear made its way down my cheek. I had thought for sure that I had cried myself out.
I felt the warlord's rage when he stepped next to me and almost shrieked, but caught myself in time, realizing he was only placing his cape around me, which was so large, it nearly swallowed me up.
It smelled strange. It smelled of horses, forest, and something I couldn't quite define but figured it had to be him. It wasn't the least bit unpleasant, and it made my stomach flutter in the strangest way.
"I will accept your tributes, Governor, and I will expect the missing horses as soon as the snow melts," the warlord told Bertram before he turned to his warriors. "Get him out of my sight."
Bertram left without a backward glance toward ustributes.
"Now, what to do with you?" The warlord turned to me. He placed his fingers under my chin, forcing me, surprisingly gently, to look up at him.
My eyes were level with his broad, naked chest, deep copper toned and defined with thick muscles. I swallowed as my gaze slowly traveled upward, past his sternum and over his thick neck, which was easily the width of my thighs. Corded muscles bulged where his shoulders met his neck and a vein pulsed with his obvious irritation.
Thick lips came into view, the edges quirked slightly as if amused despite his lingering anger. A strong, crooked nose divided his angular face and then my eyes met his, and I nearly got lost in the intense blue of his gaze.
Themorninghadtakena surprising turn, and my annoyance at missing out on a perfect day for a hunt was slightly appeased by the idea of a different kind of chase.
As I stared down into her green eyes, with irises much larger than ours, I was captivated by the golden swirls inside. Her lips were still slightly parted, and the gods help me, but I needed to have a taste of them.
I lowered my head and hunched my shoulders because she was so short and crushed my mouth to hers. Her lips were as soft as I had anticipated and sweet, awakening a desire for more in me.
After a moment, once she had some time to recover from the shock of me kissing her, she tried to pull back. In response, I slung my arm around her waist, not giving her an inch, and pulled her flush against my chest, relishing in the erratic beat of her heart against my flesh.
