Page 49 of Brutal Prince

Indi

I’m holding onto my gelding so tight I can barely breathe. I wish I could close my eyes but they just keep popping open, fixating on the hooves flashing under me.

I guess I fucked with the universe’s plan for me; I should have been home that night Mom was killed. Karma’s decided to right a wrong, and tax me for my stolen days on this earth. I get that. I understand. But it can’t expect me to like it, for fuck’s sake.

Everyone fights in their last moment of clarity. Even those that decide they’ve been dealt a shit hand and fold. Goes to show how much of the animal is still left in us.

Prince Charming’s gait changes. His steps shorten.

Beneath me, the horse’s muscles bunch and it’s like I’m gripping a rock between my thighs.

No more thundering hooves.

No impact.

We’re flying.

If I could breathe, I’d be screaming. But all I can do is stare wide-eyed as the fence flashes beneath us.

The air is knocked from my lungs by the impact of Prince Charming’s landing. He takes a few lunging steps and then slows into a canter, a walk.

My face is wet. My arms and thighs are trembling so much I can’t even think about pushing up into a sit. Prince tosses his mane and snorts as if he’s getting pissed off with my fierce hug. I think I peed myself a little.

“Fuck y-you, Prince. You alm-most killed me,” I say, my trembling jaw chopping up my words.

“I can’t believe you expect me to shoulder the blame for this,” a voice behind me announces.

I glance over my shoulder as Briar jumps down the last foot of the fence and lands with a spring in his step. He swaggers up to me, shaking his head and making tut-tut noises. His helmet is off, his sandy hair utterly mussed.

“You gonna get off him now?” he asks.

“I’m good.”

“You’ll have to get down sometime, Indi.” Briar ducks his head a little, and squeezes my shoulder. “You did good though, kid. Though I think if you held on any tighter, Prince Charming would have choked to death before he took the jump.”

I push the words, “Fuck you,” through my teeth.

Briar’s smile melts away. He trails a knuckle down my cheek. “Hey,” he murmurs, frowning hard. “You’re okay, Indi. You made it.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck! In the comedown from that massive adrenaline spike, my body’s gone all PMS on me. Tears leak from my eyes unbidden, and my lips start trembling.

No, please. I can’t start sobbing in front of Briar.

“It’s r-relief,” I stutter. “Just relieved I didn’t fucking die.”

He grabs my waist and hoists me up off the saddle as if I was nothing more than a bag of potatoes.

But he sets me down carefully, almost gently, takes off my helmet, and hangs it from Prince Charming’s pommel. When he wipes at my cheek with his fingers, I flinch away, my heart hammering in expectation of some cruel joke.

Instead, Briar’s eyes narrow, and a crease forms between his wild eyebrows. He studies me like he’s never seen me before.

The uncertainty in his eyes holds me captive.

He slides a hand around the back of my neck and draws me closer. I move stiffly, my thighs still aching from their grip on Prince Charming, but he keeps urging me forward until there’s no space left between our bodies.

“Where’d you learn to be so brave?” he murmurs down to me. “Any other girl would be bawling her fucking eyes out.”

“Any other girl wouldn’t have made the jump,” I say, trying desperately to inject my melting brain with a little indifference.

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