No. I have much better means.
My lips twisted into a smile as I traversed the courtyard from stable to kennel. I whistled, listening to the scrabble of claws and excited yips inside. Then the hounds bounded from their home, bumping into each other, wriggling like they’d been electrocuted.
I stood tall, letting the sea of canines wash around my knees. Eleven in total, all with keen ears, sensitive smell, and the training of a hunter.
Leaving them to sniff manically around the yard, I headed into thetack room where supplies, medicines, and feed were stored for the horses.
My hands drifted over the blanket Nila had used.
My cock lurched, remembering how lost and young she’d looked with hay in her hair and eyes raw from tears. Yet she’d writhed on my fingers like a fucking minx. Her hips had tilted, seeking more as if she were born to be pleasured.
My balls ached for a release. Goddammit, I needed to come. Twice now she’d brought me to the edge, only to ruin the ending.
This wasn’t me—I was never this sex-driven or clouded. I couldn’t think straight.
The second I caught her, I was taking her. Rules be damned.
You think she wants you, knowing what you’re going to do to her?
The question caught me in a trap with sharp teeth.
I froze.
What the hell sort of question was that?
One I’d never had before or even contemplated. My hands curled. I wasn’t allowed to consider someone else’s wellbeing. Never allowed to be...compassionate. The closest thing I had to a friend was my younger brother, Kestrel. He somehow escaped the conditioning by Bryan Hawk. Kes took after our mother. God rest her soul.
And Daniel.
He took after the fucking psychopath who’d been our uncle until my father killed him for almost exposing us all those years ago.
Not for the first time, I wondered if my entire family tree was bat-shit crazy.
In the end, none of it mattered. Not heritage, or destinies, or debts.
The moment Nila came on my tongue, she owed me. Not my family.Me.
The least she could do was reciprocate.
Shaking my head, I gathered up a saddlebag and stuffed everything I would need inside. With each item I picked up, my heart thawed then refroze. A blanket of snow grew thicker with every heartbeat. As ice glittered and crept over my soul, the silence from my colliding thoughts deepened until all weakness, ideas of running, and traitorous concepts of betraying my family disappeared.
I sighed in relief as I slipped back into my icicle-barred cage.
You’re tired, overworked, and dealing with a runaway. Keep your head in thegame.
I knew what would happen if I lost control. I couldnotlet that happen.
I checked my watch.
Twenty minutes.
Long enough. To her it would feel as if she’d run for miles. She would never know the difference.
Turning to go, I brushed past the shelf where my extra whips and spurs were stored. I grabbed one, sticking a whip through my belt.
It would come in handy if she disobeyed.
Taking a pair of sunglasses, I quickly traded my dress shoes for knee-high riding boots, and checked inventory. Pity I didn’t have time to change. Jeans were a bitch to ride in—terrible chafing on long excursions.
