Page 15 of Torin and His Oath (Torin and the Princess #2)

LEXI

T he horses were already saddled when we walked up, steam rising from their flanks in the cool air.

Torin set about tying and buckling our bags onto the saddles, but not exactly the same as they were yesterday, but I didn’t think to ask about it — until he led both horses out to the path and announced, “Ye are ridin’ Ferrari today. ”

I raised my brow. “ Alone?”

“Aye,” he patted the smaller horse. “We are too heavy for Lambo for the full day’s ride. Twill be a long journey, and uphill for much of it. Tis alright, Princess, I will keep the reins.”

I was frowning, and my throat tightened. “I’m just… not that good at it. I don’t want to.”

He gave me a patient look. “I ken. But I will guide the horse the whole time, I will hold the reins. Ye will be safe.”

I crossed my arms. “What if I fall asleep? I’ll fall off!” I huffed. “I don’t like this at all.”

He was chewing his lip. “I daena ken, ye can ride with me if ye must sleep, but until then ye must ride on yer own.”

“I feel a nap coming on right now .” I felt like a petulant child, but honestly none of this was okay with me and riding a horse through the Scottish highlands was not at all on my plan.

He exhaled. “Princess, tis for the safety of the horse, ye ken?”

“Fine. But I want you to know, Torin, none of this is by my choice. I didn’t ask to come here, I was kidnapped. You put me in danger. I had a nice life, a great car, and didn’t have to ride horses by myself through the middle of nowhere.”

He said, “I ken.”

“No you don’t ‘ken’. Not really. I haven’t had a bath in days, Torin. This absolutely, unequivocally, horribly sucks .”

He laughed. “Och, ye are spittin’ mad.”

“You’re damn right. I’m pissed.”

“Just because ye must ride alone? Tis somethin’ even bairns can do.”

The horse stamped, ears flicking back, seemingly irritated with me. I glared at it. “I truly doubt that… Bairns are babies?”

“Aye, but mostly weans.”

“Weans, like how old?”

The corner of his mouth went up. “Verra wee. Ye are much larger, tis why ye must be considerate of the horse.”

“Torin! Are you calling me fat?”

His grin spread. “Nae, Princess. I am sayin’ ye are nae a bairn.”

I said, sharply, “The only thing getting me through this disaster was that I was going to be relaxed, possibly sleeping, and now you’re saying that I’ll have to be constantly stressed out because I’m going to be on the back of a giant animal who doesn’t like me much?—”

The horse swung his head and looked right at me.

I pointed. “See?”

“Och, he daena like ye because ye are speakin’ verra unfairly on him.” Torin patted Ferrari’s neck.

“Lambo is tired from the long ride yesterday, Ferrari needs tae feel useful. Ye will get up on his back and ride for as long as ye are able, then ye can join me on Lambo’s back. Tis fair.”

I pouted.

He patted the back of the horse. “Mount up.”

“Fine.”

I put my hands on the saddle. Torin pushed me upward. Ferrari shifted — I squealed. My skirt turned. The plaid twisted.

I had to wriggle to sit up. I raised my chin. That had been embarrassing, but fine, at least I was up. My thighs ached, but the tunic was dry today, one good thing.

Then he scooped up Dude, who trotted up with perfect timing, as if summoned by my squeals. Torin tucked the cat neatly into Ferrari’s saddlebag. Dude blinked at me, unimpressed.

Torin swung up onto Lambo with one fluid motion, much more impressively, making it look very easy and ordinary.

I raised my chin. “What am I supposed to do?”

He gathered Ferrari’s reins in his hand. “Ye will sit there and enjoy the view. We will go slow enough that ye will scarcely ken we’re movin’ at all.”

The horse stepped to the side and there was a jolt of pain in my lower back, then I felt like I was going to fall. “No no no!” I grabbed hold of the saddle horn, clamping my eyes shut. “Whoa, whoa, boy, whoa!”

Torin swung his horse around and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Were ye fallin’? Tis nae possible!”

“It hurt, my back hurts from it all, and I just got scared.” I took a deep breath and sat straight. “It’s fine, no problem.”

I wanted to push my hair from my eyes, but I was gripping the saddle too hard. “Is this because I fell asleep on your arm? Are you doing this to get back at me?”

His hand caressed and smoothed my shoulder, and he said, quietly, “Nae, tis not… tis only that we must conserve our horses as we hae a long ride. Princess, there is nothin’ else we can do.”

He put the reins in the other hand and gently but firmly peeled my hands from the saddle. “Ye are holdin’ too tightly.”

He rubbed my fingers. He was so close, I could feel his breath on my skin. I flexed and straightened my hand. He said, “Now we are goin’ tae ride. Ye are goin’ tae sit upon the horse, not on the side, nae sliding off, and definitely not draggin’ below it.”

“I will not fall. It’s okay. I just wasn’t ready, but I want to voice my opposition to this whole thing. If you were nice, you would hire me a car.”

He turned his horse and said, “Hie!” and set our horses into a slow walk away from the stables.