MIDNIGHT DIVINE (The Helio Trilogy Book 1) by Valerie Roeseler Page A

falls as I quirk my brow. “Really?” I deadpan.
    Jack laughs at my tone.
“No. Not really. You seem comfortable around him. Have you ever rode before?”
    A knowing smile meets my
eyes. “In fact, I have. I rode as a little girl. My adoptive mother insisted on it so she could build her status
by keeping better company at the country club. In all honesty, I miss riding.”
    “You’re adopted? I feel
like I learn something new about you every day,” Jack admits.
    “You have no idea.” My face
glows with happiness. “And I feel the same way about you. Since I’ve been here,
you’ve shown me a whole other side to you I would have never expected.”
    Jack gleams in delight, “I
told you.” A comfortable silence falls between us. Maximus nickers and bobs his
head. “I’ll show you where the tack room is.” Jack leads me back to the front
of the barn and lets me pick out the saddle and tack I want to use . Then, I return to Maximus to saddle him up. I'm double
checking the girth and the length of the stirrups on the English saddle when
Jack smacks me on the rear playfully with a short riding
crop.
    “Ouch!” I yelp and swat the
crop away.
    Jack chuckles and hands me
the crop, “Here. He can be a little stubborn. You may need it.”
    I snatch the crop and swat
him across his arm, teasing back in flirtation. “Are
you ready?”
    “Yeah. Come on.” Jack moves
to the opposite stall from Maximus and leads out a black silk Friesian. She's
eighteen hands tall with powerful muscles, a long thick mane and tail, and her
lower legs are feathered with soft black hair. She's stunning, her presence
radiating ‘War Horse’.
    I lead Maximus out of his
stall to stand next to Jack. “And who's this?”
    “This… is Andromeda,” he
remarks as he pats her neck with swollen pride.
    “A Friesian war horse, and
her name's Andromeda.” I'm in awe of her. Jack shakes his head and chuckles under
his breath. “What?”
    “Nothing. It’s just… Here I
was, thinking I was going to teach you something today. But here you are,
proving me wrong and impressing me instead.”
    A shy smile graces my lips,
and we lead our horses through the barn to the open field beyond. I
mount Maximus first and feel his eagerness underneath me as he prances in
excitement. Jack follows, and I notice Andromeda's as still as a statue as Jack
settles into his western saddle. She's a well behaved war horse awaiting Jack’s
every command. While she's a magnificent creature , I prefer my stallions a bit on the wild side.
    Jack directs us further
into the field with a slow walk, letting me get use to the feel of Max. I pat
Max's neck and coo occasional reassurances to help ease his feelings towards a
new rider. “So, are you going to tell me what happened last night?” Jack
pursues.
    I think about brushing it
off as nothing again, but decide I don’t want to lie to him anymore. “I’m not
even sure it did happen. I don’t have a mark on me as evidence.”
    “I told you that you would
be fine in the morning,” he reminds me, and I wonder if he knows something
about me he isn’t saying.
    I sigh. “Well, I guess I
sent Trey the wrong signals by kissing him at the race. We both had a lot to
drink at the party, and he started coming on to me a little strong.” And all
I could see was ‘the darkness’ from my dreams. “I started getting a bad
feeling, and I didn’t like the way he was making me feel. So, I pushed him away
and left to come find you. He caught up with me in the hall and pushed me into
the wall. I head-butted him right before you got there and… you saw the rest.”
I chance a nervous glance at Jack beside me.
    “I saw you head-butt him.
I’m sorry, Ivy. I should have been there,” Jack states, regret seeping through
his words. “And don’t think for one second, it's your fault he attacked you. I
told you. Trey's not who you think he is.” I'm quiet in thought as the warm
breeze caresses my skin. “For what it’s worth,