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“How far away is it?”
Ben’s gaze fell on Ferox and he smiled. “There’s only a few miles until we reach the outskirts of the city, and if Ferox breaks into the full gallop I think he will once we see the open fields then we should arrive at the estate in an hour.”
Ferox bobbed his head. I grinned and tucked myself into the seat. We were in for a wild ride in the open country.
And how right, and wrong, I was.
CHAPTERSEVEN
We rolledonto the more industrious parts of town, and shadows zoomed overhead. I looked up and watched a gaggle of witches fly over the rooftops.
“Can a lot of people fly brooms?” I asked my companion.
“A number of witches have that skill, but for the common populace it’s outside their abilities.”
“So not very many?”
“No.”
I dropped my eyes to the canister on my arm. “An hour’s drive, huh?”
Ben leaned forward to study my face. “You have a spark of inspiration in your eyes.”
I shrugged. “I just thought it might be faster to get to the estate on a broom, that’s all.”
Ferox clopped his hooves a little harder on the cobblestones and clamped his teeth together. Ben chuckled. “Ferox doesn’t agree with your assessment.”
“Ferox doesn’t want to be left out,” I quipped as I tilted my canister arm and studied the container. “Still, I wish I could figure out how to change this thing, if only to be able to fly. . .”
Ben feigned a pained look on his face. “Have you not enjoyed our short flights together?”
I dropped my arm to my side and snorted. “I would’ve enjoyed them more if I’d had a say in the destination, and even the journey was too short to say anything more than ‘eep.’”
He took on a more serious expression as he nodded up at the sky. “Would you like to take another night flight with me? Your choice of destination.”
“You’re sure you’re not too busy kidnapping innocent damsels and selling them in the marketplace?” I teased.
A crooked smile curled onto his lips. “I see my reputation precedes me, but that story isn’t quite right.” He leaned close to me and lowered his voice to a sultry whisper. “I prefer to keep them to myself.” I rolled my eyes and set my hands against his chest to push him away. However, he lay his own hands over mine and caught my gaze in his reddish-hued eyes. “I may make an exception for you.”
I felt my cheeks warm under his heated touch. “H-how’s that?”
“I may give up my many lady ‘visitors’ and just keep you.”
My face drooped and one corner of my mouth twitched upward. “Oh, I couldn’t ask that of you. Besides, I couldn’t give up my own appreciative audience.”
He drew away from me and lifted an eyebrow. “Pardon?”
I laughed and drew my hands away from him. “Yes. They’re the spiders in my room, but I love them dearly.”
Ben nodded down at the flute in my hands. “You should learn to transform that back into a broom.”
“Why’s that?”
“So I can use it to sweep away the competition.”
That got a laugh out of me as I fell back against my side of the carriage. “Have you practiced for these banters all your life, or does it just come naturally to you?”
He chuckled. “A little of both, but one must have the right partner for it to succeed.”
