Page 53 of White Horse Black Nights

Basten, please be okay. I need you.

Sweat rolls down the hills of my cheeks, dampening the corners of my mouth. The reek of smoke permeates everything from my dress to my hair to my skin. I keep willing Basten to appear on the street behind me, but there’s no sign of him. My heart races so dangerously fast that I’m surprised he can’t hear it, wherever he is.

I need him to get me out of this town, but the need doesn’t end there. Somehow, his safety has become of paramount concern to me. He’s become my companion, my shadow, my friend just as much as my bane. It’s a struggle to think of waking to another sunrise without his grumpy ass by my side.

Wiping my brow, I glance ahead at the street. The lantern hanging outside Myst’s stable swings in the breeze. Grimacing, I shoulder the rucksack again and hobble over cobblestones in its direction. My heel throbs. My lungs ache from the smoke, making it a challenge to take a full breath. By the time I finally stagger through the stable’s entryway, I’m so exhausted I could collapse.

It’s empty, the stable’s staff long since gone to bed.

Myst is there, in the last stall on the right where we housed her, and I sigh deeply.

There you are, pretty girl.

Panting, I drop the rucksack on the straw-covered floor and limp toward her in exhausted relief. If there’s a soul in the world that warms my heart as much as her, I’ve yet to meet them. And yet, as I reach her stall gate, her head jerks toward me in alarm. Her eyes flash so wide I can see the whites around her irises.

Not alone!

My stomach tightens at her words. I know my brave girl, and she doesn’t look scared, exactly—more like she’s wary and unsure how to communicate to me what is happening. I reach for the latch on her stall, shaking my head in confusion.

I don’t understand—

Then, a boot scuffs behind me as someone steps out of the stall across the hallway. A male voice calls, “Sabine.”

My lungs snag on a startled breath. Gripping the stall door, I whirl around, my muscles shaking as adrenaline pushes them past their limit in case there is danger—

A boy steps out of the stall, the stable’s lantern light making his fair hair glow golden. He’s a few inches taller than me, and moves with the lithe grace of a hound, slim but undeniably strong. His eyes are the green color of clover, flecked with bits of brown and gold. His nose is straight and proud. His cheeks are round, wickedly dimpled in a way that stole my attention the first time I saw him. Even though it’s spring, his skin glows with a permanent sun-kissed tan.

He’s so handsome that he belongs in one of the Book of the Immortals’ illustrations. He’s exactly as the animals call him—The Boy Who Shines Like Sunlight.

“Adan?” I gasp.

All feeling floats out of my body. My head spins, and I have to grab onto the stall gate to hold myself steady. For a moment, I wonder if I inhaled so much smoke that I’m hallucinating.

“Sabine. My love.” His boot scuffs as he takes a shaky step toward me like he, too, doesn’t believe it’s real. “Thank the Immortals.”

I’m still gaping in stunned silence as he closes the distance between us and sweeps me into an embrace. He hugs me tightly, burying his face in my hair. His breath is shallow as he utters soft prayers of gratitude to the sleeping fae.

My body remains rigid. After everything that’s happened tonight, my mind can’t process that Adan is here, in a stable in Blackwater, whispering his love in my ear.

I lean backward for some air, resting a shaky hand on his chest.

“What . . . ” I lick my dry lips as I gaze into his startling green eyes. “What—what are you doing here?”

“All of Astagnon is talking about Lord Rian’s bride’s naked ride. It isn’t hard to follow where you’ve been. I overheard talk that you changed course, so I rode day and night to intercept you.”

“But—but you couldn’t possibly have gotten my message. I only sent it today!”

His brow furrows. “Message? No, I didn’t get any message. What did it say?”

I stare at him with no words on my tongue. He doesn’t know that I called off the escape and planned to stay with Basten until I had a better plan for leaving. His eyes search mine, waiting for my answer, and I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth. I haven’t felt guilty until now, staring at those guileless green eyes.

Adan is just as handsome as the first time I saw him—and just as much a stranger.

The boy holding me in his arms, stroking my face, and looking at me with such tender love is an utter unknown. How many hours did we spend together? Five? Six? Maybe he is as heavenly as I imagined—or maybe he isn’t. I really don’t know.

What was I thinking to believe myself to be in love with him after such a short time?

You weren’t thinking. You were desperate for someone to save you.

---