Page 18 of A Spell of Heart & Havoc

“You are going out. And you are not coming home until you do something.”

Hopefully, that something would happen before lunchtime. How long did adventures take, anyway?

9

DOVE

I had never quite realized how troublesome life as a lady could be until I began to be watched constantly.

Why the need for someone to be in my business all the time, from morning to night? I’d had maids, tutors, and servants around since I was a baby, but never anyone so incessantly attached at my hip. It was exhausting.

When I left my rooms and headed to the stables, she was right on my tail. I almost didn’t even notice her, such a sneaky ghost she was. But after I’d reached my horse, a palomino named Lightning, and swung up into the waiting saddle, suddenly she was there. Motioning to Olin the stablemaster for her own horse.

The last person I wanted to see on this beautiful, fresh, dew-covered morning. Couldn’t I just have one lovely ride alone before a lifetime of surveillance??

Apparently not.

Munching on one of Choia’s oat muffins, crumbs flying everywhere, Maerryl eyed me. “And where are we off to so early?”

I sniffed. “Into town. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“The dressmaker? Or a massage appointment, perhaps?” She finished off her muffin, swiping the last crumbs from her lips with a quick tongue. I looked away, fiddling with my riding gloves. “No, wait—a new looking glass you ordered has arrived, and you just can’t wait for it to be delivered. Am I getting warmer?”

No, but I certainly was. The neck of my riding habit suddenly felt very hot. Whether it was the sight of her in those dark brown leathers, now tightly hugging her muscled legs on the horse beside me, or her frustrating scrutiny of my nonexistent plans, I didn’t know. But I wasn’t going to sit here and endure it.

With a huff, I gently nudged Lightning forward, and, true to his name, he leapt out of the stable and down the road, leaving Maerryl in our dust.

Unfortunately, it seemed she was a capable rider. Though I’d had a head start, Maerryl rapidly caught up, the thundering hooves of her horse and her grumbling swears trailing just behind me. I leaned forward in my saddle, coming close to Lightning’s neck, and nudged my heels in his side to bring us into a full gallop. We’d been together for years; he needed no further urging or kicks.

He was the second horse I’d owned, and the first I truly loved, because I’d found and bought him myself. For the last ten years, I’d spent time with him every day—often the highlight of my day, if I was being honest. Even when we’d lived most of the year in our city house, I’d snuck out to the stables between engagements and talked to him as I brushed his thick coat and fed him tiny apples that I’d pocketed at breakfast.

Now that we lived year-round at the manor—and I had no social engagements to speak of—Lightning and I had more time together than ever. Through sunny and snowy days, and everything in between, he and I had explored every inch of my family’s estate and the surrounding countryside over the past few years. He had become my dearest friend, other than Petra and Choia.

A perhaps slightly depressing thought that I tried not to look too closely at. That at thirty-one, my horse was one of my closest companions. And the other two, I technically employed.

Despite our speed, I felt Maerryl slowly gaining ground on the path behind us. Lightning was nearly at his full speed—he could feel my frustration, my delight. How badly I wanted to outrace this other horse and its rider. My palms pressed to the sides of his neck, body practically flat along his back, I whispered fiercely, “Let’s show up this asshole,” as we flew toward the forest’s tree line that had become a finish line in my mind. Lightning put on another burst of speed, and Maerryl faded from the corner of my eye.

The tree line raced toward us. C’mon, c’mon.

Our hooves pounded on the dirt path. Some of my curls escaped their hold and streamed back in the wind. I felt so powerful and free, the kind of high I only experienced when we rode like this, holding nothing back. Losing myself in this moment of perfect balance and speed.

And then we were through. Past the tree line, into the cool shade of the forest. I let out a whooping laugh as I sat back in my saddle, Lightning gradually slowing to a walk.

“What the fuck was that?!” Maerryl rode up next to me, her horse snorting.

“That,” I gloated, “was me leaving you in my dust. Did you enjoy your gentle promenade here, Madam Bodyguard?”

“You do know that if you break your neck, your parents will have my neck, don’t you?”

I flipped a hand in the air. “Goddess, can’t you just leave me be for five seconds?”

She pulled her horse closer to mine, blocking Lightning’s path so he halted. I resisted the urge to move away and returned her glare instead. Despite the ire in her voice, I could see a tiny glint of something that looked suspiciously like respect. My pulse still pounded in my ears after that ride, which had felt more like a chase than a race.

“No,” she said. “I can’t.”

I broke our gaze, reaching forward to pat Lightning’s neck, trying to ignore her stare.

Maerryl cleared her throat. “Remember, princess—your parents hired me to stay near you. Keep you safe. That’s what I intend to do.”