Page 10 of The Forbidden

“Why? Because in case you’ve failed to notice, I’ve yet to act contrary to Sylvie’s best interests.”

“Maybe so, but you’re a Mardraggon, and while you might not have had anything to do with your father’s plot, and while you might have been the one to stop it from happening again, you’re still a fucking Mardraggon and therefore cannot be trusted. You speak out of both sides of your mouth.”

“Aaah,” I say knowingly. “There it is. The real reason for your bluster here tonight.”

“Whatever,” she scoffs and leans over to pick up her purse. She rises from her chair and looks down at me. “We’re done for now. Send over the information about the expansion plans. Amend the agreement. Then I’ll talk to Ethan.”

I don’t agree to any of it, merely lock eyes with her. I’m going to do exactly what she asks for but she doesn’t need to know that just now. We engage in a staring war, neither one of us blinking. I feel pettily triumphant when she looks away to glance down at her purse, reaching inside for something.

Pulling out a folded piece of paper, she offers it to me. “Sylvie wrote you a note.”

I start to lunge for it but she pulls it back, out of my reach. “For once in your life, Gabe… do the right thing.”

Kat drops the paper onto my desk and I resist the urge to pick it up. Instead, I keep my eyes on her as she turns on her heel and strides out of my office like she just closed a multimillion-dollar deal.

Granted, she probably won that round, but as my eyes land on the note, I can’t be perturbed by it.

I unfold the paper and read the scrawling handwriting of my ten-year-old niece.

Dear Uncle Gabe,

I hope you are okay. I would like to see you but my dad says not yet. I am not mad at you and thank you for telling the police about Lionel. I hope to see you soon.

Love,

Sylvie

I blink against the sting in my eyes, reading over the simple words again. It’s the best thing I could have been given right now because my main worry is how Sylvie views me. As much as my parents and I tried to turn her against the Blackburns to keep her in the fold, my father’s actions have irrevocably turned her against my family. I didn’t know if I would be lumped in with that generalization and it appears—for now—that I am not.

Tomorrow, I’ll call my attorney and have him amend the trust agreement and then I’m going to push to see my niece.

I hear the front door open, then close. I’m left in the silence, Kat’s defiance and demands lingering. I shake my head, ruminating about the one woman who always knew how to get under my skin.

Turning back to the shareholder’s agreement for Mardraggon Enterprises, I try to force Kat Blackburn from my thoughts. She’s a minor problem for me to handle down the road, but for now, I need to focus on taking down my father. Kat and these petty exchanges are a distraction I don’t need to get embroiled in.

But the small voice inside me whispers that perhaps I want to match wits with her. Perhaps I want these confrontations. Because with every charged exchange, I’m reminded of a past I’m not sure I want to forget.

It’s dangerous, this game we’re playing, but I’m a Mardraggon.

Danger is our domain.

CHAPTER 5

Kat

The dark barn is quiet, the gentle shuffling of the horses and the sweet scent of hay settling my frazzled nerves. That meeting with Gabe went about how I expected it to, but I thought I’d be able to walk away confident in the outcome. And while I accomplished what I’d intended—which was to establish contact and request he change the agreement—I had not expected to be so affected by the exchange.

It’s utterly confusing to me how I can despise someone so thoroughly and yet feel a sliver of compassion for him. There’s no doubt in my mind after talking to him that he has Sylvie’s best interests at heart and that he loves her very much. I hate that it forces me to concede that Gabe actually has a heart when all evidence up until now has been to the contrary.

I make my way to Shadow’s stall, using only the moonlight from the open doors I entered through to guide me. When I slide open his door and flip on his stall light, his big black head is there to greet me. I pat him on the nose, right below the white star, which is the only marking on his body. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a peppermint for him.

Shadow’s my current project horse, nearly three and a half years old and coming along nicely. He was born right here at Blackburn and Ethan gifted him to me. I took over his care immediately, spending daily time with him as a foal, touching and brushing him, sometimes leading him around on a halter to build trust. When he turned one, I began structured groundwork on a lunge line to build his muscle and stamina, as well as to introduce him to verbal commands. He learned how to wear a bit and bridle and I placed saddle pads on him so he could get used to equipment on his back. We did that for nearly a year.

Now I’m working toward breaking Shadow to be ridden. It’s a slow and arduous process, sometimes taking two steps forward and one step back. For several months, he wore a saddle while I lunged him, using the time to desensitize him to the weight of the equipment and the girth holding it in place. I also used long reins on him to teach him steering and stopping commands he’ll need with a rider.

Last month, I started on mounting. It’s the most exciting part for me because it brings to fruition the trust we’ve built over the past few years. It started out with me having him stand near a mounting block and me just leaning on him. Gradually, I put more and more weight over his back until I felt confident enough to throw my leg over the saddle.

Next, I sat in the saddle and let one of the other staff lead him around at a walk while I held his reins loose. He’s mastered that now without too much conniption but I never forget he’s young, spirited and sometimes flighty, all while weighing close to a thousand pounds. I’m probably going to end up in the dirt a few times once I get in the saddle without any assistance, but part of all my years of training is learning how to take a fall without getting too hurt.

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