Page 52 of To Charm a Dark Prince

“That is all I could ask.”

“Great.” She kicked Nina in the sides, and sent the horse trotting past him. She wanted to feel the wind. She wanted to feel the freedom of a gallop. She also wanted to get the hell away from the conversation. She urged the horse forward, and Nina was more than happy to oblige.

The dogs saw the galloping horse and immediately wanted to join in the fun, racing alongside her or running ahead.

For a moment, Gwen felt like she was flying. For a moment, she felt free. When she finally trotted back to a walk by the forest, she was also ready to cry. She had gone from wanting an adventure to having people leap all of this nonsense on her. It was too much all at once.

“You’re quite the rider,” Lancelot called out as he slowed down beside her. “I am impressed. You ride like a man.”

“No, I ride like a woman who knows how to ride a horse.” She rolled her eyes. She supposed she couldn’t fault the man for being a bit blockheaded. He was from a different time. “It helps when you can sit on a horse the right way. And not side-saddle.”

“I suppose that is quite true. I imagine that trousers would also be of assistance in such an affair.” He shrugged. “We should have some made for you.”

“That’d help. I hate to think about the chafing I’m going to have later.” She cringed. The dress was really comfortable, all things considered.

“I could—”

She cut him off before he could say something lascivious. “Nope, nope. Stop right there.”

Laughing, he kicked his stallion and rode along the path into the woods. “You know me so well already.”

“Your kind aren’t hard to predict.” She followed him.

“I fear you are much more of a mystery to me.”

“Not used to girls who speak their minds?”

“Hardly. I have known many a fierce woman in my day. Avalon was once filled with them. A few remain, here or there, scattered about—but like all the rest of what made this world beautiful, they are now a rarity.” He looked mournful again. She wondered if he’d lost someone he valued into the Crystal.

She decided she had heard enough tragedy for one day. “I’m not fierce. Trust me.”

“By comparison to those you know, perhaps. But do not mistake me, I much prefer an equal in all matters.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “I cannot abide meekness.”

“Well, I guess you have one good thing going in your favor.”

“Just one?”

“Just one.”

“Damn.”

Nudging Nina to walk beside Lancelot and his stallion, she turned her attention out into the woods. The dogs had all gone off to do dog things. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a normal glade. Just…trees. Underbrush. Pine needles. The chirping of birds and the rustle of critters up in the branches. The only thing that made it interesting was how…bland it all was. The muted, gray, and faded shades of fall.

“I would have taken you to see the pixies. Or perhaps the merfolk who once lived in the bay. Or the harpies—how they would havelovedto meet you. They would have pestered you with questions, eager to know about how the world outside had grown and changed. They adored technology in all its forms. But they are all gone.” Lancelot’s tone was heavy and mournful.

Gwen’s shoulders slumped. “I know. But…was the world really being torn apart?”

“We suffered war. Chaos. Death. The demon Grinn who wished it all to end. That much is true. Mordred is not lying to you when he tells you of the strife that frequented this land. But it did notconsumeit. It did not cripple it. It did not leave it a shadow of its former self.” He gestured a hand around them. “It should be spring. This should all be alive with strange, wild creatures. It should be beautiful. Not…this.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You can be more than sorry. You can be of help.” He winced. “Forgive me. I do not mean to be so curt. It is just a rarity that I am given hope.”

“I get it. It’s all right. I’ll think it over. I promise.” That was her plan, at any rate.

He smiled at her. “Thank you, my lady.”

“Legit, I’m not a lady.” She chuckled. “You—” She stopped. One of the dogs was barking loudly in the woods. It wasn’t a happy bark. It was angry and afraid. “Shit.” She kicked Nina and headed off in the direction of the sound.

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