Page 27 of My Dark Horse Prince

“Aleks can only accelerate the healing process. So if something won’t heal on its own, he’s useless. I’m not sure about Grigoriy. We’ll have to ask.”

“Can I pass these clothes out to you? Or would you rather I wash them myself and maybe use a blow dryer on them?” The thought of putting my dirty, shredded clothing back on makes me cringe, but it’s still going to be so much better than wearing them while filthy.

“Yes, pass them out. If you really want to keep them, I can have them washed, or I can just toss them.”

“It’s not like I can borrow your clothes,” I say. “You’re like a size double zero.” I’m not large by any means, but I’m much taller than she is. We haven’t been able to share clothes since elementary school.

“Please,” she says. “I sent Aleks for clothes the second we got in here. I told him his friend can surely wash up alone. His driving terrifies me, so he should be back from town any time. Even so, no rush washing your hair or blowdrying it.”

“You’re saying that giant of a man is going to pick out clothing for me?” I hate how skeptical I sound.

“He’s surprisingly fashionable,” Kris says. “He picks out my clothes sometimes. Don’t worry so much.”

A wave of relief rolls over me. To be clean was one thing. To be clean and wearing new clothes is another. After losing everything—my phone, my clothes, my wallet—I feel a little safer knowing I’ll at least be presentable.

An hour later, I feel like a human again. My hair’s dried and my body’s clean and smooth, even if I am wrapped in a towel. When Kris passes a bag through, I expect things to be way off. I’m prepared for it.

“He bought me a bra?” My face heats, and I’m glad no one else can see me.

“Calm down,” Kris says. “He does whatever I say.” She laughs. “Hope it’s the right size still.”

“Haven’t changed there since high school.”

And everything fits, more or less. Dark pants, a cute, chunky sweater, and even a stunning, supple, black leather jacket. It all cost more than my rent, I’m sure, which causes me a little anxiety. I open the door, and Kris hands me some crutches.

Which promptly makes me break down in tears.

They’ve done way too much. “I’ll pay you back,” I say lamely. “It may take me a bit, though.”

“Stop.” Kris slides the crutches under my arms and takes the coat I don’t need to wear right now. She tosses it on the bed and tilts her head until we’re finally making eye contact. “I wish I’d been a better friend. I got so caught up in Aleksandr and my own drama that I didn’t even think about you. You always seem so tough, so capable, and so self-sufficient that I didn’t even think about it. I should’ve been paying better attention.”

That just makes it worse. Kristiana, no matter what my sister Adriana says, has always been the best friend anyone has ever had. Things have always gone one direction with us. She gave me horses that had an aptitude for jumping, but no particular speed. She found me work, and then later, let me run a lesson program at her barn. She gave me a place to stay, no questions asked, whenever I needed one.

The one time I’ve had to handle things on my own, when she was in the middle of her own personal misery and losing her family farm, I completely botched things, got injured, and fell apart. That’s not her fault. It’s mine. “You’re the best friend.”

“No, you are.” She hugs me then, ignoring the crutches, and whispers. “Please, just let us buy you some stuff to replace what you’ve lost, and let us pay for your surgery? Okay? No arguing and no more awkward promises that you’ll repay me.”

“But—”

She releases me and pushes her hand against my mouth. “No. That’s what I’m talking about. Just, stop. Aleks has a lot of money, and that means I do too. Let us pay for the medical care you need. Alright? It won’t cause me any problems, I swear.” She snorts. “If you insist, we can call it an early birthday present.”

My lip and my voice both wobble, but I manage an “Okay.”

She points at the table. “Pain killers. A phone Aleks grabbed—we can try and get you a new one tied to your number and account soon, but at least you’ll have one for now. I’m sure your mom and sister are worried. You can call them. Aleks lined up an appointment with a surgeon for tomorrow afternoon.”

It’s too much, too fast. I sit on the edge of the bed and drop my face in my hands.

“Do you want to take a nap?”

My head feels like it’s spinning, but I manage to shake it. “No. I’m not tired. I feel. . .hopeful.” I force myself to take the pain meds, down them with some water, and then I square my shoulders. “I think I need to talk to Grigoriy. If he’s a horse shifter mage or whatever, why didn’t he fix my bum leg?”

“Let’s go ask him.” For some reason, there’s a sparkle in Kristiana’s eyes.

I arch one eyebrow. “None of that.”

“What?” She feigns innocence.

I give her my best solid glare. “Do not try to push me and Grigoriy together just because you and Aleksandr are so happy.”

---