Page 42 of My Trojan Horse Majesty

Izzy shakes her head andturns toward me.

The raging beast inside of me that has wanted to kill Heaston since the beginning roars. I gather her closer, my arms wrapping around her. “Shh. You were too goodfor him all along,” I whisper in Russian. “Far, far too good for him. You always will be.”

“What are you saying?” Tim’s fists look ready to try and take me out.

“Nothing you would understand,” I say. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Were the two of you. . .” Tim ducks his head until he’s staring at Izzy. “Did something happen while I was in there?” He throws a thumb backward, at the door he just exited. “Did this guy buy the horse because you. . .earned it?”

“Stop suggesting things that you would do,” I say. “Izzy’s nothing like you.” Which I can now visually see. Her face glows like the sun. It’s brighter and more brilliant than nearly any other face that I’ve seen. She’s as lovely as he is dark.

And I mean to make sure he never gets near her again.

“Iz, you can’t stay mad at me when I was doing it for us. I know it was wrong, and I’m really sorry, but tell me that I can fix it.” He drops onto his chair and drags it closer, the metal feet screeching against the tile. “I would leave this practice, or even this state, for you. We can move somewhere close to another vet school. Then you can go to school while I work—I told you the second I got out of here, I’d buy you a ring. I meant it.” He stretches his hand across the table. “Come with me. We can go choose one now.”

Izzy pulls away from me slowly, like a flower unfolding under the rays of the sun, and she turns back toward him. “Did you do what they’re saying, what your partners are saying?” Her voice is small, so small I can barely hear her words. “Did you steal money from the other partners? Did you overcharge clients and recommend surgeries that horses didn’t even need?”

It’s clear on his face.

He’s guilty as sin itself.

“Of course not.” Now he’s scooting back. I should have expected this. She’s accusing him, so he has to get defensive and aggressive in response. “I can’t believe that you, of all people, could believe that of me. I thought you loved me.”

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d email Dr. Hartfield,” she says. “I’m beginning to worry that the Tim Heaston I loved. . .isn’t you at all. I’m worried I made up some other version of you in my head.”

“You’ve been listening to your friends.” Tim’s expression is set, angry. “It’s that Paige, right? She’s always hated me. I think it’s because she liked me herself. She’s jealous of us—of you.”

“Actually, she said you made a pass at her,” Izzy says. “I thought she was lying. I thought she was jealous of the time we were spending together, but now?” She stands. “I thought I wasn’t good enough when I was with you. I thought I wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t interesting enough. . .wasn’tenough. I worried all the time that I’d disappoint you. I’m finally realizing that the only thing that made me an idiot was not seeing you for who you really were.”

He leaps to his feet. “If you think I’m a liar, I’m an evil manipulator, then why did you even bail me out?”

“So I could dump you face-to-face, I guess,” she says. “Only creeps do things through email, or hadn’t you heard?” She turns and starts to walk off.

Tim reaches for her, but I’m not about to let that happen. I step into his space and punch him right in the nose.

He swears loudly, spraying blood all over me, the floor, and his own shirt. He swears again, and then he draws one arm back to take a shot at me.

I bump his arm away from the inside, knocking it wide, and punch him again. If the first hit didn’t break his nose, that second one definitely did. That makes me smile.

“Leo!” Izzy’s outraged cry reminds me that we’re standing in a police station. Plus, she saidLeo.It makes me smile.

I wave at the camera. “Diplomatic immunity.” Then I shrug, spin on my heel, and walk out.

Izzy falls into step beside me on the way out. “Did you use your powers back there?”

I can’t help my snort. “Please. I don’t need magic to defeat someone like him. I just punched him in the face.” I try to suppress my smile and fail. “Twice.” I pause, falling behind while she keeps going. “Wait. Are you saying Icanuse them against him? Because, I forgot. . .my wallet. I need to go back in there.”

Izzy pivots and glares at me balefully. “No, I’m definitely not saying you can do anything to him.”

I trot to catch up with her, but as we reach the truck, I realize I’m covered in blood spatter. “This is unseemly,” I say. “I can’t be walking around like this. I’m the leader of the noble and powerful country of Russia.”

Izzy’s eyes widen when she notices the blood on my shirt. “Are you alright?” She grabs my hand.

My heart does a very strange thing. It speeds up. I find myself breathing faster. I want to talk, but I have no idea what to say.

She turns my hand over and frowns. “This one looks fine. Did you punch him with your other hand? I thought you were right-handed.” She releases it and reaches for my other hand.

I let her take it. . .and the same thing happens again. Plus, something more happens, something new. A little thrill of excitement runs up my arm and makes my whole body shiver, but not in a bad way.

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