Page 80 of My Queendom for a Horse

“Aleks,” I hiss. “Let me go. I need to get back to the dinner, and you need to go ditch that car somewhere.”

His thumbs stroke the inside of my wrist in a shockingly intimate gesture I was not prepared to deal with. “I love that you’re worried about me.” His grin almost distracts me—combined with the fluttering sensations spreading through my body. . .I need to escape. Right now.

“Aleksandr. You’re not listening to me.”

“I didn’t steal the car, alright? And I came here because I didn’t want you to be stuck, alone, eating dinner with people who look at you as though you’re spoiled meat.”

“Spoiled meat?” I stomp on his foot—something he can’t evade or sidestep.

He barely even flinches, and he doesn’t let go of my hand.

“If you don’t tell me what’s going on right now—”

“You’ll what?” He smiles. “You’ll call the police? You’ll tell Sean and his family that I can turn into a horse and that I actually am the same being as Obsidian Devil?”

My jaw drops open and dangles that way, idiotically.

“You told me that Sean was a better option for your future than I am, right? You said that he’s a better man.”

I blink.

He finally releases me and steps back a few inches. “He has money.” He lifts one finger. “He’s kind.” He holds up another. “And he’s refined.” He lifts a third finger and waits expectantly.

“You have lost your mind.”

“I’ll explain how I got the car at dinner, and everything I say will be true. Or at least, mostly true.”

“Family drama?” I ask.

“One of my relatives survived,” he says. “That’s the good news.”

“Whoa, so there may be more horse men running around?” I ask.

“Well, he was an illegitimate cousin, but we did share half our DNA. I doubt he had any magical skill, but apparently it’s enough for the Russian government.”

“What are you talking about?”

“DNA is wonderful stuff. It turns out, after my half cousin’s grandson passed away just over a year ago, leaving no heirs, the entire family estate just sat.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’ll tell you the rest at dinner.”

“But how—”

“You didn’t think I spent the entire night for the last several weeks reading about movie stars and digging through the same tired articles speculating about the Russian Revolution, did you?”

It’s like I don’t know him at all. “I assumed you slept part of the time.”

“Did you know horses can sleep in the pasture, day or night? Standing or lying down?” He shrugs. “I spent more time sleeping as a horse than anything else—which let me stay up all night as a human.”

“We’ve been standing here far too long,” I say. “We need to go.”

“Yes, if we dally longer, Sean might suspect that something strange is going on between us.” Aleks steps closer again.

I duck under his arm and practically sprint back to Isaac, who definitely noticed that something was off about the two of us, even though we spoke in a language he couldn’t understand.

At least the dining room is close—just down a hall and to the left—and the first course is already prepared.

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