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“What a weird lie,” I say. “It doesn’t even make sense. Why tell me that I have to touch you for your powers to work?” It’s like they knew that every time I touched him, my brain stopped working. I might have hated that lack of control more than anything else.

“It was the truth,” he says. “At least, for them it was. When Aleks first shifted, he could only shift back and forth when Kristiana touched him and commanded it. And then he could only use his magic when she was touching him. But they discovered that it has something to do with Kristiana—probably something to do with why Leonid wants her—when she told me that I was forgiven, I didn’t need to have you touching me anymore to shift or use my magic.”

“But they knew the solution, and they lied about it.”

“They wanted to help you,” he says, but he’s wincing a bit.

“Yeah, help me, by forcing me to try and date.”

“It was wrong.” He shrugs, even though he’s bent sideways around a tree. Human movements are really ingrained. Watching his shoulder muscles and his pecs expand and contract is really distracting. “At least their intentions were in the right place.”

“And what about yours?”

He’s standing so far from the tree now that I can almost see indecent things. “I hadn’t really seen a woman in a hundred years, and you’re breathtakingly beautiful. Can you blame me for wanting to keep you around or for trusting that your sister knew best how to interact with you? She lied first. I just didn’t correct it.”

They all conspired behind my back. That really ticks me off.

“Are you going to be angry at her forever?”

“Maybe.” I put the bridle back on the red roan and force myself to turn away. “But listen, I don’t need help. Everything’s fine,” I lie.

“Really?” Judging by the rustling sounds, he’s stepped out from behind the tree.

“Whoa, there, champ.” I have my hand over my eyes when I turn back toward him. If my fingers aren’t very tightly clamped together, well. Looking isn’t touching.

“Sorry,” he says. “It wasn’t a big deal when I was growing up—we found ourselves having to shift a lot.” He ducks back behind the tree.

A big deal, it most certainly is.

“The whole reason I shifted was to offer to help. If there’s anything I can do, tell me what.”

“I appreciate the offer, but the only one who might be able to help me is Kristiana, and I’m still way too mad at her—”

“Why could she help?” He’s frowning now, and it’s stupidly cute. “But I can’t?”

“She’s a vet,” I say. “A horse doctor. And the horse I have to ride in a race in a few weeks has a quarter crack that’s not being properly treated.” I sigh. “I really, really need to win the race, but I’m worried I’ll be harming the horse.”

“Do you have to ride that specific horse?” He looks entirely serious.

“Pretty much,” I say. “She’s my best bet to win. See, this other guy has an Akhal-Teke, which don’t usually win mile-and-a-half races, but this one’s built different, I hear. It’s a cross, actually, but the point is that I have to beat it.”

“You could ride me.” He’s smiling, and he’s only half standing behind the tree, and I can’t help thinking of other things.

My entire face heats.

“In the race, I mean.” But now his smile is very smug.

“You don’t even have proper papers,” I say, “and—”

“I’m assuming the people you’re working with aren’t the most ethical,” he says. “Have them find me papers.”

“But—”

“Make sure you’re my owner, though. I’ll be a stickler about that.”

He wants to make sure that I’m his owner. I’m not sure what it is about that phrase that sends a thrill through me. “Alexei.”

“I know you don’t want to date me, and I know you can feel the chemistry between us.” He steps forward a half step, stops, backs up, and sighs dramatically. “But Adriana, I’m not some teenage boy who’s going to be following you around. Before the curse knocked us out, before my entire family was killed. . .” He pauses, clearly collecting himself.