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Stables? Why would Ruslan want to obscure my vision for this?
“Watch your step,” he murmured, and I eased a foot forward, finding a small bump in the ground. A few more moments passed before we abruptly turned to the right and a familiar whinny hit my ears.
The silk slipped away, and I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the light.
“Surprise!” everyone yelled, and then I took in the view.
Liliana, Drazen, Zuriel, and a dozen others were gathered around a table arranged in a U formation, and at the center stood Mistik, her dapple gray coat gleaming in the morning sun. A new diamond-studded halter adorned her face, catching the light as she tossed her head as if to say “come here and give me a hug.”
I whipped my head to Ruslan, eyes brimming with happy tears. “You put this together for me?”
His answering grin nearly melted me on the spot. “This is your firstrealbirthday, sprite. I wanted you to spend it with everyone and everything you love, because you deserve it. Your twenty-second year of life should start off with a bang.”
“It already did,”I teased in his mind.
“And that was just the first round,”he shot back. Then he dropped my hand and placed his on the small of my back. I didn’t hesitate to race forward and greet all my friends in turn.
“Happy birthday, Izidora!” Liliana squealed, shoving a box into my hands.
“What is it?” I asked her, admiring the aqua box tied with a white ribbon.
“Open it and see, silly,” she admonished.
“I thought we agreed no presents until everyone was seated,” Ruslan groused as he came up behind us.
Liliana scoffed. “As if I would wait. I had to get something over you.”
“I don’t think anything you give Izidora will top what I gave her this morning,” he shot back.
“Ugh, your dick does not count as a gift,” Liliana scoffed.
I snorted a laugh. “You saw it at Steel, Lil. It definitely is.”
Ruslan preened with masculine pride as he shot Liliana a triumphant grin.
With a shake of my head, I pulled at the ends of the ribbon and then wiggled off the lid of the box. Inside were two bracelets, both silver in color with an aquamarine and light green tourmaline framing two letters: I and L.
“They’re friendship bracelets!” Liliana exclaimed, impatiently pulling them out and snapping them onto our wrists.
I pulled her in for an embrace immediately. “I love them. Thank you, Lil.”
Mistik whinnied again, and I released my friend, turning to my horse. “And don’t you look beautiful in your new halter,” I cooed, brushing my fingers against her soft fur. She nodded, then jerked me forward, sending me half stumbling into her neck. I wrapped my arms around it and breathed in her scent.
“Just the first in a long list of presents I got you,” Ruslan said, amusement lining his voice. “They’ll be paraded out as we eat.”
Giving my horse one last squeeze, I turned to face him. “Are there more cinnamon rolls?”
He snorted like I’d told a joke. “Would it be your birthday if there wasn’t one at least the size of your head?”
“Good point,” I quipped, following him around the table to two empty chairs in the very center. A groom led Mistik away, clearing the area for the servants I noticed waiting in the wings, hoisting silver platters on their shoulders.
“She’ll be back,” Ruslan told me as the first servant stepped forward, revealing a rainbow of fruit. She scooped a handful onto our plates before moving on to Liliana sitting to my right. Zuriel was on her opposite side, along with Xorrek and Gozzak, while Drazen sat beside Ruslan, a buffer between Anton and Slavian. Even Artur, Kriath, and Savaich were in attendance, all toward the end of the table and chatting with a few other Félvér – Natasha, Aliana, and a few other females I knew from the army.
As food continued to pile on plates, Anton leaned down, his eyes dancing as he regarded Ruslan and me. “So how was your hike this morning?”
A warning growl slipped from Ruslan’s throat as he stared down the High Lord.
“We had so much fun. The view was… breathtaking,” I replied. A laugh burst from Liliana, and I shot her a mischievous grin over my shoulder. Zuriel snorted and shook his head.
