Page 116 of Scourged

That seemed to be enough for him because instead of teasing her further, he asked a different question.

“What’s his name?”

Thatpulled Mariah’s gaze to him. Andrian’s hand still stroked Kodie’s face, but his eyes were fixed on hers, his expression unreadable.

She tilted her head, surveying him quickly.

“Kodie. After my grandfather.”

He held her gaze, something sharp in his eyes. “That sounds like a story.”

She wanted to snap at him, to tell him that they didn’t have time and that the others would expect them soon. That she didn’t feel like sharing this piece of her past, one of the few cherished memories she had from her childhood.

“You need to learn to trust him again.”

With a deep breath, she broke his stare, looking instead into Kodie’s soft brown eyes.

“When I was a girl,” she said. “I always wanted a horse of my own. But my family couldn’t afford another one—we had my mother’s mare and my father’s warhorse. That was it. My brother and I were still small enough that we could ride tandem with our parents if we needed to go anywhere as a family … which, truthfully, wasn’t often.” She stroked Kodie’s face, playing with his forelock.

“But I still begged my parents. Prodded and pleaded and poked until they were sick of me. One day, when I was thirteen, I was out wandering around the outskirts of town, moping about the fact that I couldn’t go hunting with my father and younger brother. I stumbled my way onto a local farm.” She smiled at the memory. She still felt Andrian’s eyes on her, but they were warm, no longer a searing heat.

The bond between them was still silent. Mariah bent, inspecting Kodie’s front hoof before righting herself and rechecking his girth.

“The farmer had a horse. A fierce palomino mare that he’d used to plow his fields. And that day, he was just … standing in the field with her, a sour expression on his face. So, being the bold little shit I was, I walked right up to him and asked him why he looked at his horse like that. ‘Because,’ he’d said, ‘she just had a foal.’ And there he was, just a scrawny little guy hiding behind his mom.”

That errant bond stirred in her chest. Just a flutter, but enough for Mariah to stumble slightly as she slipped around Kodie’s rear to stand on his other side, avoiding Andrian’s intense gaze. “I asked the farmer what he planned to do with it. He grew very distressed and agitated. ‘Do you have any idea how much work a foal is, girl? I’m an old man; I do not have time for this.’” Mariah looked deep into Kodie’s eyes.

“The farmer said he had no choice but to put the foal down. His mare would be sad for a time, but he simply couldn’t manage it. But, to me … that was unacceptable. So, I did what any out-of-control, overly determined thirteen-year-old would do.” Mariah smiled, scratching Kodie’s ear.

“I told that farmer I would take the foal. Bottle feed it, sleep in the barn with it, I didn’t care. I would make that foal my own, and he wouldn’t have to spend a dime or raise a finger to care for it.” She finally turned to Andrian, knowing his eyes would still be locked on her. That bond still flickered in her chest, just a tickle beneath her ribs.

“So? He said yes?” He shifted against the stall doorway, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mariah swallowed. “Of course, he said yes.” She fought back a grin and the telltale heat of her flush. She glimpsed his blindingsmile just as she turned back to Kodie. More warmth spilled through their bond, going straight to her cheeks.

“In fact, he agreed to let his mare keep the foal, so I wouldn’t have to bottle feed, if I helped him on his farm until the foal could be weaned. I accepted in a heartbeat. My parents were less than thrilled, but my father eventually relented, believing the few months spent on a farm would be a good outlet for my need for adventure.

“So, I spent the summer working on that farm. Plowing fields, sowing crops, caring for livestock … all of it. Whatever that farmer needed me to do, I did it, no question.” Mariah grinned again. “Probably the first time in my lifethathas ever happened.”

A deep chuckle sounded beside her, much closer than she’d thought it would be. She inhaled on instinct and caught a whiff of his scent: rain and sandalwood, like the forest of her home.

More warmth pulled in her chest, wrapping around her heart.

“And the rest is history,” she ended in a rush, patting Kodie’s flank. He pawed at the ground, his hoof scraping at straw. “Kodie came home with me when he was weaned, and I spent the next few years training and breaking him. I never met my grandfather, but my mother told me stories about him. A great warrior who lost his life in some dispute in Vatha. He was impossibly stubborn and fierce, but loyal to a fault. I decided to name my little colt after him. Kodie has never really liked most people, but he’s always had a soft spot for me.”

Andrian chuckled, extending a hand. Kodie sniffed it once before pushing his nose into Andrian’s waiting palm.

Andrian grinned triumphantly. “He seems to not mind me.”

Mariah snorted and rolled her eyes. “You probably just hid carrots in your pockets.”

The second she said it, she knew what he would say.

“Oh, trust me, princess.” His voice was all darkness and smoke, liquid heat dumped into her veins. “That isn’t a carrot in my pocket.”

Mariah slowly turned to face him, ignoring the pounding in her chest or the flames licking down her neck.

“Did you just make a dick joke?”

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