Page 7 of Hunted By the Headless Horseman
At this time. At least he’s honest. My mouth dries, but I follow him and accept him directing me to the bed. He still doesn’t let go of my hand, as if he’s worried I’ll vanish into thin air or something. Turning his body from mine, he opens a drawer on the little table next to the bed. Curious, I thread my brows until he retrieves an envelope stamped with a scarlet seal of a horse.
Goosebumps form on my arms as he hands me the letter. It’s the first time he releases my hand so I may break open the seal and read the contents.
4
“Of course, I’d get the horniest headless man
HEADLESS HORSEMAN
Icould listen to her voice for eternity.
“My Dearest Summoner,”she begins, and my chest clenches with the understanding of how unique my Belle is. The only one who has not run from me, attacked me, fainted, and more.
“I find myself at a loss to adequately express the depth of my gratitude for the summoning that has brought me to your side. Words seem insufficient to convey the profound appreciation I hold for your act of daring.”
She pauses, and I sense her eyes on me, although I still cannot see her. To see her, she must comply with a far greater undertaking—one I will not speak of at this time.
Clearing her throat, my Belle continues in her sweet, melodic voice, “You must certainly harbor many questions regarding my presence and our entwined fates. I shall do my utmost to provide answers to those queries and offer whatever clarity I can. However, I must reveal a matter of some gravity: the curse that binds me dictates that I must pursue you each night throughout the month of October. Fear not, for though my pursuit may seem menacing, it is not my intention to cause you harm—unless, of course, it is a harm of a mostenjoyablesort.”
She mumbles something under her breath, a scoffing implied. How I long to tuck the end of my riding crop beneath her chin and command her to her knees to proffer an apology for such scoffing. Oftentimes, my wife would be purposefully impertinent, my saucy wench, a ploy to bait me with her need for a certainattention.
She’d curse me every second I trained the crop on her delightful bottom, but how I roused her. How she whimpered, moaned, and begged for my manhood once I turned her arse as red as her cheeks.
I grow hard at the thought of giving this spunky summoner the same attention.
“Moreover, know this,”—she continues to the heart of the letter—“the curse shall lift only if my heart can be reclaimed. A heart I, regrettably, traded to a soothsayer for a matter of greater necessity. While you are under no obligation to assist me, Iearnestly hope you may consider taking on this task. Your aid would be received with the deepest gratitude.
“May you find it in your heart to aid me in this quest, and may our paths cross in ways that bring us both something more than mere darkness.
Yours sincerely and with great hope,
The Headless Horseman.”
I hear her breath, how it has grown heavier. To grant her what little comfort I may, I tuck a few curls behind her ear before cupping her chin.
Do you have any inquiries for me, Belle?
“What’s your name? Wait, no, let me guess please,” she requests, and I hear the hint of eager mischief in her voice. “Let’s get the obvious ones out of the way. Bram?”
No.
“Ichabod?”
God, no.
“Lucian.”
My spine prickles with annoyance.Belle?—
“Dracula,” she teases warmly.
With my gloved hand, I strengthen my hold on her chin, a subtle warning. The only one I will grant. Between her churlish and childish attitude, the deadly and captivating nature of her name, and the knowledge of her abundant breasts so near with the thinnest slip of a barrier, it’s more than a man in my position can stand.
“All right, just let me try a couple more. Realistic ones like John or Jack.”
I pause. A discernible lift in her countenance is obvious.
“What? Did I guess right? Is it John?”
