Read Online Talent For Trouble by Bianca D'Arc - Free Book Online Page A

beautiful, powerful creature. She wanted to commune with him on a non-verbal level.
    She reached out her hand, and he moved into her caress, fitting his soft cheek into the palm of her hand. She smiled and stroked him, patting gently and scratching by his ears as he moved into her. Within moments, she found herself putting her arms around his strong neck, his huge head moving to encapsulate her in his warmth and seeming protection. It was a moment of pure magic.
    Without conscious thought, she stroked her fingers into his thick mane and, with an agility she’d thought long gone, she pulled herself up onto his bare back. She was breathless a moment, waiting to see if he would let her ride, and then, he was off, slowly at first until he cleared the crowd of the herd and people, then faster and faster as she found her seat. She felt as if she had never been away from the horses with which she’d been raised. She felt a perfect union with the glorious beast beneath her as he picked up speed across the open field.
    She heard the pounding of hooves just behind her and realized that her sister followed on a powerful mare, keeping pace, there for Jana if she should need her, much as their papa had done when they were little. It made her feel warm and protected in a way she hadn’t felt since the Wizards had ripped her from her home.
    Tears streamed down her face and into the wind, but it was a cleansing feeling that claimed her when Darkest Hour finally came to a stop at her urging. She would have liked to ride all day and all night, but her legs were just too weak. She was trembling from head to toe when the horse walked back to the waiting men. Darak’s eyes were filled with pride, and his smile spoke of the care she had only just realized lay between them. When the stallion stopped beside him, she tumbled down into his arms, allowing him to guide her and support her weak body with absolute trust.
    He carried her back to her room where she promptly fell into a deep, healing sleep. She didn’t awaken until just before dinner when Shill, the maid, came to help her prepare.
     
    * * *
     
    The days went on in much the same way for a few weeks. Each morning, she would meet with Master Toombs, and little by little, she was putting her past behind her. Darak continued to be a nearly constant presence, though he didn’t push her any further than he had that first day at the estate. She rode the horses and formed a deep bond with the magnificent stallion who remained nearby, seemingly waiting for her whenever she set foot outdoors. She was regaining her strength quickly, surrounded by the love and acceptance of her sister, but she knew others still harbored doubts about her.
    “I won’t be here for the next few days. I have to go up to the Circe and oversee the refit.” Darak’s voice cut through the dinnertime chatter, startling her.
    “How is it coming along?” Micah wanted to know, lifting his goblet and failing to not look too interested in the fate of his old ship.
    “The repairs were completed this morning, and the new bits are going to be installed starting tomorrow. Which is why I want to be there.”
    Micah nodded. “Understandable. When do they want you to go back out?”
    “You mean you don’t know?” Darak grinned at his powerful cousin. “I thought it was you that had put me on hold.”
    “Hold?” Jeri entered the conversation. “We didn’t know, Dar. I swear. I wonder why they’d hold the Circe back?”
    “I don’t know,” Micah’s eyes turned speculative, “but it could have something to do with the comm I received just before dinner. I was going to wait until we were finished eating, but you might as well know now. The Council wants to question Jana next week. They say they’ve waited long enough.”
    “Micah! You’ve got to do something.”
    “No, Jeri.” Jana finally spoke up. “I expected to be interrogated sooner or later. I’d just as soon get it over with.”
    “But you’re not