Page 50 of Hold my Reins

With a heavy sigh, he turned away and ambled along the road, not wanting to rush as a part of him hoped for a miracle. Leaving Rox to sleep was the right thing to do. He was safe in bed. Which is where he wanted to be.

As he obeyed, the call to return to Bothvar’s side strengthened. He sunk into the spell that bound him because it was easier to drown than resist. To let the magic consume him until there was nothing left. The next time he surfaced, he’d be in the monster realm, far from any portals.

It would be better if he never surfaced at all, then he’d never have to think and remember. His heart weighed him down, slowing each step. But he couldn’t stop.

And he couldn’t turn around, no matter how much he wanted to run back to the house.

There was only the next step and the one after, all leading to the man who had stolen him once and now again. Only this time, he wasn’t fighting because he didn’t want to kill the man he loved.

Rox.

The song would remain unfinished, and they would only run together in his dreams. But Rox would live, and that had to be enough.

He imagined he was on his way to meet Rox. Maybe if he pretended Rox was just past the next tree, instead of each step taking him further away, he’d be able to bear the rest of his life.

Through the trees, he sensed the portal, but before he reached it, he saw Bothvar. He wanted to stop and back up, but his feet kept moving, driven by the magic in the cursed bridle.

“You thought you’d escaped, kelpie,” Bothvar said, his voice sharp and cold. His lip curled with a sneer as he assessed Lynck. “Hiding in the human world… Clever, I’ll give you that. You will, of course, be punished for finding a way to avoid me.”

Lynck kept his gaze on Bothvar and let the words break over him, but he imagined he was walking through the moonlight with Rox. Rox had never seen a horse… Would he be scared or want to ride him?

“Lynck! I thought I’d lost you,” Rox’s voice pierced his imagining.

Bothvar looked past him.

That was when Lynck realized Rox was there in the woods, not safe in bed.

“Who are you?” Bothvar barked.

“Gideon Roxburgh the fourth. And this is my kelpie,” Rox said. “Who are you?”

Bothvar laughed. “And why does a human need a kelpie?”

“I have a hoof kink. Much like a foot fetish but with hooves. He likes his hooves licked…but I’m sure you know that. That’s why you’re trying to rustle my horse shifter.”

Lynck’s ears twitched. Rox had never licked his hooves—and he didn’t like having his hooves licked! What was he talking about? And why was he in the woods when he should have been at home? Lynck wanted to turn around to look at him or shift and ask, but he couldn’t as he was bound by order to attend to Bothvar, and until he was given a new order, he needed to wait.

“What are you talking about, human?”

“Kink. Sex. You know, naked stuff. People pay good money for kelpie smut. Not only do I have fun, but I make a tidy profit too.”

It sounded like Rox’s voice, but Lynck had never heard such words from his mouth. He did not want to be part of any kelpie kink thing. Why was he giving Bothvar ideas?

“I want my kelpie back,” Rox said.

“You stupid human, he is mine. He wears my bridle, the bridle that you tried to remove.”

“Uh…you know about that.” The bravado faded from Rox’s voice.

“Arn told me everything. For his loyalty, I allowed him to die at home instead of remaining in banishment.”

Bothvar had been so happy to receive word about his missing kelpie that he’d killed the bearer of good news. Lynck was not surprised that Rox’s boss was dead. Nothing made Bothvar happier than blood on the floor of his great hall.

“I’m sure he was glad about that…he hated the human world.” Rox paused for a heartbeat. “You may not be aware, but here we have the law of finders keepers. Meaning, I found him, so the kelpie is mine.”

Yes, he wanted to belong to Rox. His heart belonged to the human with messy hair and painted nails.

If Rox held his bridle, he’d never be forced to kill again.

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