Morning sunlight shone down on the empty spot where my horse should have been standing. Anger and disbelief rolled through me as I stared between the saddle hanging on the low wall and the young boy who should have been keeping an eye on my horse while I slept.
“What happened?” I ground out.
The boy’s nervous eyes darted towards the person behind me. “H-horse thieves.”
“Oh really?”
Hooves thumped against the ground behind my back as a large brown horse moved to stand next to me. Seated atop it was Callan Blackwell, and he was smiling like the villain he was when I dragged my furious gaze to him.
“How unfortunate,” he said with a mocking lilt in his voice. “That there were horse thieves out and about right here last night, and that they just happened to steal your horse.”
“Yes, how unfortunate. Especially since there were only two horses in this entire stable, and they left yours alone.”
“Indeed.” He smirked down at me. “Looks like you’ll have to walk the rest of the way to Eldar.”
Oh I was going to kill him. I was going to poison him and watch as he clawed at his own throat, fighting for breath, while he squirmed on the floor at my feet. I was going to make him suffer if it was the last thing I did.
Keeping the wildfire rage burning in my heart, I spun on my heel and stalked back out of the stable. I grabbed my pack from where I had placed it against the wall and hoisted it before striding towards the road without another word.
The lazy clopping of hooves on stone informed me that Callan followed. On his horse, he quickly overtook me. But he didn’t press far ahead. Instead, he moved his horse so that he was riding only a few steps in front of me. As if he was some sort of lord and I his lowly servant trudging after him on foot. I ground my teeth so hard that they almost cracked. Once we had Lance Carmichael, I was going to kill this arrogant bastard.
“We could share,” he tossed over his shoulder.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What was that?”
“I could allow you to ride with me.” Twisting slightly in the saddle, he shot me a taunting look. “If you ask nicely.”
Biting back a snarl, I whipped my gaze away and stared out at the landscape instead while I stalked forward.
Callan let out a satisfied laugh.
The sound of hooves thudding against the ground filled the air as he kept riding.
Sweat trickled down my back as I continued walking along the road while the sun rose higher in the sky. My shoulders ached from carrying the heavy pack, but I just clenched my jaw and kept moving. Hills and grasslands rolled past on both sides as I walked. And all the while, Callan comfortably rode his horse a few steps in front of me.
Unsticking my tongue from the roof of my mouth, I swallowed against my parched throat. I really needed to stop and drink some water. But I refused to show Callan any weakness. My gaze seared into his back while I considered how I could stop for a rest without it making me look weak.
“This is taking too long,” he suddenly announced, breaking the long silence that had fallen.
“Well, then perhaps horse thieves shouldn’t have made my horse disappear,” I sniped back.
Callan pulled on the reins. His large brown mount trailed to a halt while he turned in his saddle to face me as I walked past next to him. Our eyes met, and I swore that hatred crackled in the air between us.
“Get up on the horse,” he ordered.
A disbelieving huff ripped from my throat. Stopping right next to him, I looked up at him and raised my eyebrows. “Over my dead body.”
His eyes glinted as a wicked grin curled his lips. “That could be arranged.”
My patience ran out. Slamming my palms together, I shot a cloud of poison magic straight at his face. He sucked in a strangled breath right before a force wall hit me in the chest.
I flew backwards, my magic disappearing as I could no longer concentrate enough to keep it up.
Pain shot up my back as I landed awkwardly on the ground with my pack still attached to my shoulders. Slipping out of the straps, I rolled out of it and then pushed myself up on an elbow. A boot appeared on my shoulder. I touched my palms together again while Callan used his foot to shove me back down on the grass before he crouched down, straddling my hips.
Glittering green magic hovered right in front of his face while a force blade rested against my neck.
“This is taking too long,” he repeated. “At this pace, we won’t reach the city walls until morning.”
“Well, maybe you should’ve thought about that earlier,” I spit back at him.
“Just get on the fucking horse.”
I glared up at him through the poisonous mist. He stared back at me.
“Fine,” I bit out.
He held my gaze for another few seconds before pushing to his feet. The force blade disappeared from his hand. Struggling upright again, I brushed crushed grass off my clothes and ran my fingers through my hair.
“And drink some water,” he said.
Shifting my gaze to him, I raised my eyebrows in annoyance.
“I can tell that you’re dehydrated.” He strode over to his own pack and pulled out a waterskin. “And you’re useless to me if you’re unconscious.”
After taking a long drink from it himself, he threw it at me. The liquid sloshed inside the bag as I caught it in my left hand. For a moment, I considered pouring it out. But in the end, reason won out and I drank deeply from it while Callan rearranged his pack on the saddle and then attached mine as well.
Once I was done, I stalked over to his massive horse. After shoving the waterskin back into his hands, I swung myself up into the saddle. It was a rather flat and long model, probably made with packing space in mind, so both of us would be able to fit. Though, I would still need to sit almost on top of him.
The horse snorted and shifted its weight as Callan climbed into the saddle too. Grabbing my hips, he adjusted my body until we could both sit relatively comfortably. His firm chest was solid against my back when he at last leaned forward to grab the reins. I held on to the front of the saddle as the horse started forward. While it walked, I let my body shift with the movements.
“Stop that,” Callan ordered, his voice gruff.
I frowned. Stop what? I wasn’t doing anything to…
Realization dawned.
A wicked grin spread across my lips.
Shifting my position slightly, I ground my ass against his crotch with deliberate precision. His cock hardened in response.
“Audrey.” My name rumbled from his throat like a warning.
I rolled my hips. His firm cock pressed into my ass as I continued grinding into him at a steady rhythm. It tore a low groan from deep within his chest.
A gasp ripped from my lips as Callan’s hand shot up from the reins to wrap around my throat. His strong fingers dug into my skin as he forced me backwards until my back was pressed hard against his chest. I sucked in a strained breath from under his iron grip.
The firm muscles of his chest and abs shifted against me as he leaned down and placed his lips against my ear. My skin prickled as his hot breath caressed my skin.
“Unless you want me to tie you up and bind you to the packs behind me, I suggest you stop that,” he growled in my ear.
Satisfaction sparkled inside me and a smirk curled my lips, but I stopped rolling my hips. Once Callan was certain that I would not start it up again, he released my throat and grabbed the reins with both hands again.
I suppressed a wicked laugh. So, he found me attractive, huh? Now, I knew exactly how to mess with his head.
Smug victory bloomed inside me.
This was going to be a fun mission after all.
