Page 89 of Ravenrose

Shocked, my gaze snaps to his, and I immediately regret it. The world tilts violently, and a sharp pulse of pain lances through my skull. My hands fly up to my forehead and I squeeze my eyes shut tight, trying my best to manage the bite of the pain in my head without letting him see me cry.

“No, thank you.” I straighten my shoulders again, pretending my head’s not still running circles around us.

“It wasn’t a question.”

“Was it an order?” I lift my eyes to his.

“Yes.”

I straighten, despite the fever making my knees tremble. “How’s that been working out for you so far?”

“Princess…” Ayer’s voice holds a dangerous undertone of warning, but I ignore him. Out of the corner of my eye, I see his jaw flex, his annoyance giving way to anger.

“Get on the godsdamned horse, Rowan.”

That catches my attention.

Rowan.

Not princess. Not kitten.

My name sounds different on his tongue.

I eye Dash nervously, swallowing down the rising anxiety before dragging my gaze back to Ayer, forcing my expression into something more like disdain.

“I don’t take orders from you.”

He moves fast.

Too fast.

My first instinct is to run, but I’m already at the rope’s end.

There’s nowhere to go.

I barely have time to brace before he shoves me. He might as well have thrown me off a cliff for how my body reacts. The small push is enough to send the world pitching sideways. Vertigo crashes over me, stealing any sense of up or down. My legs, already trembling beneath me, give out, and my knees buckle.

I’m falling.

Strong hands catch me before I hit the dirt.

“On the horse. Now.”

I consider refusing again, but the barely contained fury radiating off of Ayer decides for me. I’m in no state to test just how far I can push him.

“Fine.”

I wrench myself out of his grip, nearly careening over, but somehow stay upright. I stomp toward Dash, grabbing a handful of his mane to center myself before attempting to haul my body up on top of him.

Hands close around my waist. Before I can protest, I’m lifted clear off the ground and set atop the saddle like I weigh nothing at all.

Suddenly finding myself on a horse, I don’t have time to be angry as fear overtakes me. My heart races in my chest.

It’s too high.

The horse shifts beneath me. Just a single step, but it feels like an earthquake. My breath comes in sharp, frantic bursts. My hands shake so badly I can’t tell if I’m holding on or slipping. The panic claws higher, and my entire body goes rigid.

I’m going to fall. I’m going to⁠—