Page 75 of The Twisted Throne

“Foolishness for no reason at all, is it?” James huffed out a breath. “Even better.”

“Hold him still.”

James had already prevented the gelding from bolting twice, but keeping an animal six times his size from moving wasn’t in the cards. “He’s not trained to stand, Ahnna. He’s trained to run.”

“You’re not helping.”

He didn’t bother to correct her, only tightened his grip on the racehorse’s reins. And gave every groom watching in the hope of another peek of thigh a murderous glare that had all of them scrambling to find work to do. Never mind that he was hoping for the same.

She tried again, this time not bothering with modesty. Which meant James was treated to a view of stockings that ended just past her knees, the skin above bare and perfect and entirely captivating. Then she was on her ass again in the dirt. She tried again. And again and again. If Ahnna was frustrated, she didn’t show it.

“My lord,” one of the older grooms said to him, keeping his back to Ahnna’s efforts. And her bare legs. “Perhaps the mounting block?”

“What’s that?” Ahnna asked even as James shook his head at the groom.

“A crutch that you won’t have if you fall off alone in the middle of a field.”

She seemed to accept that answer, then her gaze turned sly. “You get on him, James. I want to see if it’s even possible or if I’m truly wasting my time.”

James ground his teeth. He didn’t want her to get on the horse, and he strongly suspected that if he showed her how, Ahnna would have no trouble mimicking him. Except if he refused, he also suspected that she’d only find someone else to show her how. The grooms had returned, enjoying that she’d challenged him, and he’d be lying if he said her tactic wasn’t effective. “Fine. Move.”

Ahnna backed up. James, forgoing the stirrup and moving too quickly for the horse to do much about it, boosted himself into the saddle. Dippy immediately tried to bolt, but James circled the gelding around Ahnna before sliding off the side again.

“Ah,” she said. “I see.”

And immediately replicated what he’d done, skirts bunched above her knees, white stockings stained with dirt, the shoulder seam of her dress split where the muscle had flexed.

For a moment, Ahnna and the horse both appeared stunned that she’d managed to make it into the saddle. And then the gelding exploded into motion.

James cursed, Dippy dragging him a dozen paces toward the open gate before he got him stopped, only to realize that Ahnna was no longer in the saddle but flat on her back where they’d started.

His heart leapt to his throat, and he abandoned the horse to run to her. But Ahnna was already sitting up. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” Her tone suggested he was an idiot to think otherwise. “I want to try again.”

James’s eyes latched upon the crimson stain on the back of her now filthy dress, her stitches obviously having broken open. “We’re done here.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding.”

Ahnna gave him a look of disgust, pulling her arm out of his grip. “So? I don’t know how things are done in Harendell, but in Ithicana, you keep trying until you can do it.”

He leaned close so that the onlookers couldn’t hear. “If you want to do things the way they are done in Ithicana, go back to Ithicana.”

Not giving her the chance to voice whatever argument he could see rising in her eyes, he rounded on the grooms. “Stable him.” He could feel her glare burning between his shoulder blades.

As James turned to tell Ahnna to get into the carriage so that the mules could take her back to the palace, it was to find heralready stomping through the gates into the spiral. She was clearly intent on walking up on her own two feet, the guards he’d assigned trailing after her.

Biting back a curse, James broke into a run. “Why are you so goddamned stubborn?”

“Because pissing you off brings me joy.”

His cheeks burned. “That’s not the reason.”

“Character flaw.”

“Try again.”

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