actually saw his features, but somehow she’d already known it was Theo, even from a distance. She’d never seen anyone ride a horse like that, except on a DVD . And even then, she’d been warned by Vonnie and Frank that nothing on DVDs was real, or ever had been.
The mustang stampeded up toward her without slowing, and Selena realized he wasn’t going to stop. She started to dart out of the way, but the next thing she knew, the large, pounding animal was upon her. The ground shook and the hoofbeats filled her ears.
What the hell—
They tore past her, hardly slowing. A hand swept down and curled behind her and under her arm, lifting her quickly and fluidly into the air without straining the gashes on her chest. Selena found herself jolted onto the muscular, undulating back of the horse in an unstable sidesaddle position. Instinctively, she grabbed the dark mane in front of her with both hands as she tried to settle her heart and stomach—as well as her rear end—into place. Out of breath, startled and angry, at first she couldn’t speak.
Then she was terrified.
As the shock eased, she became aware of the flickering light above them from the torch he still held, and the strong band of an arm that curved from behind her to a clump of mane above her two-handed death-grip. And the very young, very hard thighs that veed and jolted right behind her. And the solid torso she’d bumped back against when she got settled in her seat.
“You busted idiot!” she managed to gasp, realizing that he must only have been holding on to the horse with his legs when he reached down to grab her up. “You might have killed both of us!”
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” he shouted back, the wind whipping his words behind them.
She realized they had made a wide turn and were barreling back toward the cluster of zombies in the distance. “No!” she shouted back at him, twisting in the half-embrace and nearly falling backward off the side of the galloping horse. She gasped and clutched harder. “Go back to the walls!”
The crystal on the long cord bounced and jounced against her stomach, heavy and hot but still covered by its heavy pouch. She bent forward to try and subdue it because there was no flipping way she was going to let go of that mane. Especially since her ass was shifting and bouncing like a popcorn kernel in hot grease.
“I’ve got to take care of them first,” he replied in a determined voice by her ear. “Got to find that girl.”
“No,” she shouted, chancing to turn once again in her seat. She nearly clipped his chin with her temple, and he gave her a quick downward glance. “They found her! Go back, Theo!”
“They found her?” The tension eased a bit from his torso, but still they shot toward the zombies, his bracing arm solid as before.
The crystal was getting warmer and the heat seeped into her belly where she’d bent over to cup it close, and she worried that the temperature might bother the horse. And the zombies, few as there were, would soon sense it, if she didn’t get Theo to turn around. “Please! Go back! It’s too dangerous!”
He eased up on the horse at that moment and she felt him shift away to look down at her. “Are you hurt? Are you all right?”
“Take me back. Please,” she said, avoiding the question but clearly leading him to believe that she was hurt. “They found her. It’s not worth it.”
Her teeth were chattering now; somehow, her body was supporting her in the misleading of Theo. Selena gripped the mane more tightly and felt his legs shift as he eased up on the horse. The creature responded, slowing and turning to head back to the settlement. The mustang was by no means walking or even trotting; they were still going along at a gallop—but at least it wasn’t at breakneck speed.
Which was good . . . and bad. Because now she was even more acutely, insanely aware of the details of her surroundings: the warmth leeching into her back; the
The mustang stampeded up toward her without slowing, and Selena realized he wasn’t going to stop. She started to dart out of the way, but the next thing she knew, the large, pounding animal was upon her. The ground shook and the hoofbeats filled her ears.
What the hell—
They tore past her, hardly slowing. A hand swept down and curled behind her and under her arm, lifting her quickly and fluidly into the air without straining the gashes on her chest. Selena found herself jolted onto the muscular, undulating back of the horse in an unstable sidesaddle position. Instinctively, she grabbed the dark mane in front of her with both hands as she tried to settle her heart and stomach—as well as her rear end—into place. Out of breath, startled and angry, at first she couldn’t speak.
Then she was terrified.
As the shock eased, she became aware of the flickering light above them from the torch he still held, and the strong band of an arm that curved from behind her to a clump of mane above her two-handed death-grip. And the very young, very hard thighs that veed and jolted right behind her. And the solid torso she’d bumped back against when she got settled in her seat.
“You busted idiot!” she managed to gasp, realizing that he must only have been holding on to the horse with his legs when he reached down to grab her up. “You might have killed both of us!”
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” he shouted back, the wind whipping his words behind them.
She realized they had made a wide turn and were barreling back toward the cluster of zombies in the distance. “No!” she shouted back at him, twisting in the half-embrace and nearly falling backward off the side of the galloping horse. She gasped and clutched harder. “Go back to the walls!”
The crystal on the long cord bounced and jounced against her stomach, heavy and hot but still covered by its heavy pouch. She bent forward to try and subdue it because there was no flipping way she was going to let go of that mane. Especially since her ass was shifting and bouncing like a popcorn kernel in hot grease.
“I’ve got to take care of them first,” he replied in a determined voice by her ear. “Got to find that girl.”
“No,” she shouted, chancing to turn once again in her seat. She nearly clipped his chin with her temple, and he gave her a quick downward glance. “They found her! Go back, Theo!”
“They found her?” The tension eased a bit from his torso, but still they shot toward the zombies, his bracing arm solid as before.
The crystal was getting warmer and the heat seeped into her belly where she’d bent over to cup it close, and she worried that the temperature might bother the horse. And the zombies, few as there were, would soon sense it, if she didn’t get Theo to turn around. “Please! Go back! It’s too dangerous!”
He eased up on the horse at that moment and she felt him shift away to look down at her. “Are you hurt? Are you all right?”
“Take me back. Please,” she said, avoiding the question but clearly leading him to believe that she was hurt. “They found her. It’s not worth it.”
Her teeth were chattering now; somehow, her body was supporting her in the misleading of Theo. Selena gripped the mane more tightly and felt his legs shift as he eased up on the horse. The creature responded, slowing and turning to head back to the settlement. The mustang was by no means walking or even trotting; they were still going along at a gallop—but at least it wasn’t at breakneck speed.
Which was good . . . and bad. Because now she was even more acutely, insanely aware of the details of her surroundings: the warmth leeching into her back; the
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