AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Captain Lemuel slid her onto the saddle in front of him, wrapping an arm around her to secure her to him. He tugged back on the reins and his horse went motionless. Chalisa’s horse shuffled to an uneasy stop.
The crowd stirred, not sure if they should cheer that Chalisa was safe or storm the stadium and flay the man who’d almost hurt her. He’d vote for the latter.
Aiden raced toward them. Stuart, Wes, and Kingston trailed him.
He was furious. How dare Lemuel try such a crazy stunt? Chalisa could’ve been thrown from the horse, trampled, or slammed into the railing.
He sprinted up to them and yelled, “What were you thinking? She could’ve been killed!”
“Aiden,” Chalisa’s sweet whimper came from under the helmet.
He reached up for her. Lemuel released her, and she slid off the horse and into his arms. It wasn’t as if he could feel her through the thick padding and armor, but the reassurance that she was safe and in his arms helped calm him. A little bit.
Letting her feet slide to the ground, he lifted her visor. Her blue eyes were wide and uncertain.
“You’re okay,” he reassured her. “I’ve got you now.”
Kingston ripped Lemuel off the horse. Aiden almost smiled.
“How dare you,” Kingston growled.
Captain Lemuel flipped up his visor, unsmiling but definitely not looking fearful like he should. Kingston, Wes, Stuart, Malik, and Alaric surrounded him. Aiden knew they could take Lemuel down, but they were great guys and would step back and let Aiden pummel the idiot if he asked.
“I know horses,” Lemuel said. “And I worked with Sunshine early this morning to perfect the jump. I knew exactly how to maneuver to keep Chalisa safe while unseating her with the lance. Now that I’ve won the event, she won’t have to go up against me multiple times. I felt this tactic was much safer and would minimize any discomfort to her.”
All the men stared at Lemuel for a few beats and then exchanged uneasy looks. The Magnites knew horses better than Aiden, Wes, and Stuart. It might have to be their call if they dismantled the guy. Dang it.
Prince Quinn and Prince Bodi reached them. Prince Bodi and Princess Julia were the official ‘judges’ of all the events. Alaric quietly repeated Captain Lemuel’s excuse while Chalisa leaned into Aiden. It worried him that she said nothing.
“What do you think, Quinn?” Kingston deferred to the crown prince. Aiden wondered if Kingston was too invested as Chalisa’s brother-in-law to be fair.
Aiden was definitely too invested, and he didn’t want fair. He wanted Captain Lemuel pummeled by him, then shipped out of here on the slow boat.
The crowd was far too quiet, all straining to listen. He noticed Lieutenant Hays standing next to Mercedes and Shawn. They looked concerned, and it appeared Shawn was gently restraining Mercedes from rushing over and trying to fix the situation.
Prince Quinn tilted his head to the side. He, Kingston, Prince Bodi, and Alaric waited for Princess Julia, and then they moved into a huddle and quietly discussed. Nobody else moved or spoke, but still Aiden only caught a few words.
He kept his focus on Chalisa. Her color was looking better, and she gave him a sweet smile. It was taking all his self-restraint not to carry her out of here, get her out of this armor, and kiss her. If only Mercedes would let him compete alone against Lemuel and West.
The group separated, and Prince Bodi turned on his mic. “Captain Jagger Lemuel will be awarded seven points for the joust.”
The crowd muttered, obviously not liking that.
“He did technically win,” Prince Bodi continued. “But used untraditional means to do so. Chalisa Anderson will be awarded three points for bravery and poise.” He smiled, and the crowd cheered. As the crowd settled, he said, “Captain Lemuel will also have a warning. If he tries anything unconventional again, he will forfeit all his points earned.”
The crowd cheered at that as well. Lemuel nodded and turned his horse, riding to Gerald, the stable manager, and dismounting. Aiden supposed the ruling was fair. There were ten points for each competition and Chalisa had at least earned some. He liked the warning and risk of Lemuel forfeiting all points even more. The guy would stay in line, or the competition would basically be over.
“Are you all right?” He stared into Chalisa’s blue eyes.
“Yes.” Her smile reassured him. “That was crazy, but at least I’m done with half of the joust.”
“You are very brave. I think they should’ve given you all ten points for your bravery, poise, and beauty.”
“I think they were generous to give me three of the ten.”
Prince Bodi was announcing Aiden’s first event—hand to hand combat against Lieutenant West. Aiden could hardly wait.
“Kiss for good luck?” he asked Chalisa.
