Eternal Echoes, Emblem of Eternity Trilogy Book 2 (30 page)

A horse. Judging by the weird noises coming from its nose and the eyes that seemed to follow me everywhere like one of those creepy paintings, it seemed this one had taken a particular interest in me.

I stared at the horse, black as a moonless night, and eyes to match. Okay, technically its eyes were brown, but the horse looked like the devil, and the devil has evil eyes. It was large. Very, very large.

“They’re saddled and you can take them whenever you’re ready,” Farmer Fisk said.

He pointed out the other horse before giving us a few more general instructions about where to ride and what to do when we got back to the barn after our adventure was over, and then ambled out of the barn. He was probably going in the house to get some yummy food. I almost followed him. I’d much rather be inside than facing a thousand pound beast.

“I like my transportation to come with a motor, not a heartbeat, Alex.”

He laughed loudly.

I was not amused.

“You ride four wheelers all the time,” he said, checking the saddle and leading the devil horse out of the stall.

I backed up a bit, eying the horse warily. She seemed to be looking at me the exact same way. “Machines only gallop when I tell them to. This,” I said, waving my hand in the general direction of the horse, “has a mind of its own.”

The horse huffed as if it understood me. I’d say that was impossible, but there wasn’t much I believed was actually impossible anymore. I kept staring. I couldn’t get over the sheer size of the horse. It made me nervous. “I’m pretty sure this horse belongs to a Ringwraith. They wouldn’t want me riding their horse. It would be a really bad idea to piss those guys off.”

Alex laughed softly, shaking his head. “Give it a chance, Evie. She’s a gentle, beautiful horse.”

I eyed Alex, and the horse, suspiciously.

“You know,” Alex said, “you used to love riding.”

I snorted. Clearly my Cassandra incarnation was loony. I was sure the explanation was that cars hadn’t been invented yet, so I’d made do with what I had. And I’d bet I took the carriage route over being jostled on a horse’s back any day.

“Come on,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’ll help you up.”

I wrinkled my nose distastefully and Alex smiled. When I didn’t move, he came over, dragging me to the horse.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m sure it will come back to you like riding a bike.”

“Yet another mode of transportation that doesn’t have a brain. We should go bike riding instead.”

“Maybe next time,” Alex answered. “When there’s not snow on the ground.”

“I might not survive this time.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

I wrinkled my nose again. He knew how much I hated drama, which is why he said it. When I’m antagonized, it makes me more determined. He knew I wouldn’t back down from his challenge, even if it was something I didn’t want to do.

I put my foot in the stirrup and Alex held my waist as I swung up, balancing myself, and lifted my leg until I was straddling the animal. Surprised my momentum hadn’t catapulted me completely over the horse, I pushed my chest out a little, proud I’d successfully mounted the beast. I settled in the saddle, holding on and trying not to look down. It was only about five feet to the ground, but it might as well have been five hundred.

I watched Alex walk to, and mount, his horse—a caramel colored mare with a diamond-shaped patch on its nose—with ease. It looked much gentler than my black beast, and I wondered why Alex hadn’t taken mine instead. He’d been riding horses for years. He was practically a professional. He should have taken the scary one.

Alex gave me a few basic instructions, and told me to follow him. I said I’d likely be following him on my back with my foot stuck in the stirrup after I’d been bucked off—or killed by the Witch King—but Alex didn’t seem too concerned.

He was right. I was fine. I hate when he’s right.

We spent the next part of our date on horseback, talking and laughing as we navigated the forest beyond the farm. I was proud I remained in the saddle the whole time. Based on my limited knowledge of horses, I thought the fact that I didn’t get bucked off meant the horse kind of liked me. Weird. I’d always been convinced my relationship with horses only extended to the mechanical kind.

The cold mountain air wasn’t ideal for being outside, so we only rode for about an hour. We made our way back to the farm, stopping outside the barn. Alex dismounted first, before helping me.

Taking the reins of the horses, we led them inside to the tack room. Alex unsaddled the animals as I stood back, watching. The actions seemed familiar, and in the back of my mind, I knew I’d done them before. He handed me a brush, showing me how to brush them down. When their coats were shining, we led them back to their stalls where they had fresh water. Alex handed me an apple to give to the horse. He showed me how to cup my hand and cradle the fruit so I kept all my fingers. No longer wary, I lifted the apple to the horse’s mouth as I patted her on the head. Black Beauty took the apple, chomping away happily and I laughed.

I took a deep breath, smiling. As I inhaled, the combination of the leather saddles, hay, and clean air struck me like a fifty pound weight and I fell into a flashback.

“
Don’t hold the reins too tight!” Alex yelled, his tone playful, but slightly concerned. His face was the epitome of youth: full cheeks, soft lips, sparkling emerald eyes and shoulder length dark brown hair that seemed to dance in the breeze. He was wearing light brown breeches, a long sleeved yellow shirt, and brown vest over the top.

He was young. So was I.

I was a girl on the cusp of becoming a young woman. I bounced in the seat of the saddle, wearing a yellow riding dress with lace around the collar and sleeves. My chestnut curls spiraled down my back, unruly in the breeze. I rubbed the black horse on the neck, whispering to it as we galloped around the property, passing a stately gray stone home so large it could house an entire town. A large stable was behind the house. The hills seemed to roll for miles in every direction.

I took a deep breath, smelling the sweet perfume of blooming flowers in the air. Alex galloped by on a dark brown horse, its coat as smooth and shiny as melted chocolate. “Whispering to the horse won’t help you win,” he yelled as he passed me. My eyes immediately narrowed and my focus dialed in. “Run, Ruby,” I whispered. In an instant, we were flying. Moving across the ground at a shocking speed, I passed Alex easily. I rounded the marker at the end of the course we’d laid out, and made it back to the stables, the starting point of the race, before Alex had even circled the marker.

I was off Ruby, patting her neck and looking in her eyes, whispering more words as Alex came to a running stop, his face screwed up in displeasure. Alex didn’t like to lose. Neither did I.

“How did you do that, Cass?” Alex asked, sliding out of his saddle.

I looked at him wide-eyed. “What do you mean? You’re the one who challenged me to a race. You should not be surprised I won.”

Alex pursed his lips. “I wouldn’t be surprised, provided I hadn’t taught you to ride only two weeks ago.”

I shrugged. “I learn quickly.”

“You were riding one of the slowest horses in the yard.”

I flashed a wide grin. “My success would say otherwise.”

“Tell me,” Alex said, exasperated. “How did you beat me? Next to father’s horse, I have the fastest steed in the stable.”

“Perhaps you should get to know your animal better.”

He sputtered like I’d insulted him. “I know my animal far better than you know yours.”

I patted Ruby on the head, giving her an apple from a bucket next to the feed trough. “I wanted to win. I told her to run. And we won.”

Alex shot me a glare as he stomped off, pulling his horse with him. I knew he was angry he’d lost, and even angrier he’d lost to a girl with less experience than him.

I stepped back as my horse bent into the trough, taking a long drink. I smiled, pleased with myself, and looked toward the house. I waved at the stunning woman wearing a deep wine colored dress with a low bust. Her black-brown hair was piled up on her head with longer curls draping down her neck. She was beautiful in a classic way—high sculpted cheekbones, porcelain skin, bright red lips, emerald eyes. Alex’s mom. She’d stood, watching Alex and me with a keen eye. She waved back, a curious expression on her face. Her hand fell, and I went back to grooming Ruby.

I took a deep breath as I came out of the memory. I was getting better at keeping my flashback reaction less noticeable, but I still steadied myself against the gate. Alex noticed. “Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded, my breath less ragged. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” He came over and stood behind me, a commanding presence. His hands were a gentle weight on my arms as he turned me toward him. At first, he seemed to be looking for signs of distress, but as our eyes caught and held, I knew his thoughts were in other places, and mine were headed there, too. His hand slipped feather-light over my arms and down until they rested above my hips.

Like I was having some sort of out-of-body experience, I watched as my hand went up to his face, tracing the line of his jaw. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” I said in a very unconvincing way.

It wasn’t that I didn’t mean what I said. I did. And I still had enough blood flowing to my brain to vocalize it. But I was having a hard time convincing my rational side that I shouldn’t be making out with Alex. Especially when my rational side was practically screaming that I’d kissed Emil last night and to be fair, I should also make out with Alex. My rational side told me I wouldn’t want a double-standard. My rational side had lost its mind.

“Why?” Alex asked, inching slowly closer, his eyes dark in a way that made my legs feel like pudding.

There were so many possible answers to that question, with reasonable arguments for why we shouldn’t proceed, that I wasn’t sure which to choose. I started with, “What if the bracelet doesn’t work?”

Alex glanced down at my bracelet, giving a very slow smile I could only describe as predatory before eying me like he was preparing for an attack. Apparently a couple of centuries of sexual frustration will do that to you.

“It will,” he answered, still moving toward me.

“How can you be sure?”

“One, because we already tried it in your Mustang.”

Oh. Right.

“But we still don’t know it worked. Maybe no one was in the area hunting for soul mate bonds at the time.”

Alex’s mouth curved slightly in a smile part rapacious, part entertained. “I’ve been waiting a
long
time for a relationship with you, Evie. And for everything that comes with it. I wouldn’t have given you the bracelet if I wasn’t sure it would work. I gave it to you because I intend to put it to use.”

Sheesh! Judging by his dark, focused gaze, I knew he wasn’t kidding. And I was pretty sure there was a chance I was about to be deflowered in a barn. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Not exactly the romantic story you want to tell your friends. In fact, a barn would be worse than the back seat of a car. At least the seat had cushions and no animal audience.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” I shook my head, like that would emphasize my argument and stop his sultry advances. It didn’t.

His arms went around me tight, pulling me to him. My chest crushed into his, the hard planes of his stomach obvious even through our clothes. He stared down at me, not loosening his embrace. My breath was shallow as I stared back, wondering how long it would be until we both lost all common sense and flung each other down into the fresh bed of hay. He moved his lips over my cheeks, the soft skin brushing wispy strokes over my face. When he got to my ear, he took the soft pad in his lips and nipped lightly, whispering one word. “Why?”

Why? Why what? Had there been a question? I fumbled around in my head for what we’d been talking about. Oh. That’s right. Bad idea. This is a bad idea. Why is it still a bad idea? What was my list again? I did more fumbling and found one. “What about Emil?”

I felt Alex tense, his shoulders becoming taut under his shirt. “He’s not invited to this conversation.”

Geez! Alex had always been overbearing, but apparently when it came to sex, he was not only overbearing, but alarmingly primitive. Again, I attributed the aggression to decades of pent up frustration.

“Don’t you think he’ll be upset?”

Alex kept kissing down my neck, and I moaned. His hands moved around to my stomach, unzipping my coat. He quickly discarded it on the ground. “I wasn’t thrilled when I walked outside and saw you braced against the house with your legs around him, and his shirt half off.”

Touché.

“We all agreed to the rules,” Alex said, his hands moving lightly under my sweater, inching it up ever so slightly. I’d never been addicted to anything, but imagined this was how addiction started. A little at a time. Alex pulled my sweater over my head, and kept kissing back up my neck and along my jawline. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”

I looked at where our hands were, and the clothes slowly making their way to the ground. We were about to be doing things that were wrong in a very good way. “I guess it depends on your definition. Emil would think this is seriously wrong.”

The muscles at Alex’s jaw ticked, his eyes glittering with a combination of passion and anger. “I told you,” he said, moving swiftly, one arm sliding under my thighs, the other around my back. He lifted me, cradling me in his arms, and walked down the row of stalls to an empty one at the end of the barn. Fresh hay was scattered in large mounds, creating a soft bed on the ground—albeit a scratchy one, but better than the dirt floor. He laid me down gently in the hay straddling me, the years of want and need, written across his face. “We’re not talking about him.” With that, he was on top of me, the kiss aggressive. I could feel my soulmark burning, and my bracelet seemed to be giving off heat as well. If this kept up, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole barn burst into flames.