Page 103 of My Wild Horse King

My one hesitation is that I’m not sure he’ll buy it twice.

It might be worth the risk. Watching him race inside to change clothes was hilarious. An hour and a half later, I’ve managed to bury lots of things with piles of dirt, but I’m not doing as well at defending against fire.

It might be easier if Alexei wasn’t using a flame thrower. It pretty much creates flame with a permanent power source, so defending against it requires an ongoing churn of additional dirt.

“Wow.” Abigail’s standing on her back porch. “You weren’t kidding about wreaking havoc on our arena.”

“I’m so sorry.” I drop the earth immediately.

Aleksandr’s smile is smug. “Don’t worry. It’s very easy to repair.” With a few waves of his hands, the dirt flattens out and everything’s even again.

Abigail blinks.

Motion from behind her, near the road, catches my eye. Something gold flashes—and I realize it’s Katerina, running. Then I’m stuck watching. I can’t seem to take my eyes off her, no matter what form she takes. It’s strange that her horse form is the exact one I kept dreaming about, but also, it feels. . .right. Likeof courseit was her.

I felt like maybe we were both interested in each other, but then after I managed to use my earth powers the first time, she backed off.

Big time.

Aleksandr doesn’t make any of it easier. So if I spend a little too long staring at her as she runs alongside the road toward us, well. I refuse to regret that.

In the fall weather, wind gusting down from the mountains, her mane billows out behind her like a gorgeous white-gold flag. Her nostrils are flaring—she’s clearly been running hard—and her legs move like water running through a riverbank, fluid and tumultuous.

Her head turns then, and she sees me staring.

Our eyes meet, and I smile. I shouldn’t be so obvious, not when I don’t know what she thinks about me, but I can’t seem to help myself. She tosses her head and whinnies, and that’s when I see it.

A tractor coming around the bend where it’s harvesting a large field. She, clearly, doesn’t see it. I wave, and she tosses her head again. She has no idea what I’m trying to tell her.

They’re about to collide.

I don’t think about it.

I simplypush, wrapping her up in the only way I can, and then I drag her toward me. She flies through the air like a wingless, airborne Pegasus, her legs still moving, her hooves flashing in the sunlight, and I set her gently down in the center of the arena.

“What on earth was that?” Abigail asks. “What just happened?”

Grigoriy whoops from behind her on the porch. “Our boy just forced his second power.”

This time, I make it exactly one hour before I pass out mid-practice session. When I wake up, I’m lying on someone’s bed. I rub my eyes and cast around for my phone. It’s on perpetual airplane mode, and I have no idea how my own IPO’s even going.

I can’t risk Jean telling anyone where I am.

Not even Grandfather.

I expect them to file a missing person’s report since I’m staying off the radar, but there’s still nothing I can do about it. When I clear my vision enough to read the phone display, I realize that I was out more than two days this time. Ugh.

“Two days,” I groan as I sit up.

“Gustav?” Katarina’s sitting on a chair in the corner. Her legs are crossed, and as she uncrosses them, she stretches her hands up in the air over her head and yawns. “Thank goodness.”

“It’s beentwo days?” I ask. “That’s not good.”

“At least it was air,” she says. “If you had tried to save me with water, it might have alerted Leonid to our whereabouts.”

I can’t help smiling. “What would that have looked like?” I’m sure I’m smirking now. “A tidal wave to shove you out of the way of that tractor?”

She rolls her eyes. “So glad you’re awake. Did I mention that?”

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