Page 10 of Unhinged Obsession

He’s trying hard to let Paris handle it, and I feel like he deserves a gold star for that particular growth in his character.

Paris quietly leads Sunny into his immaculate stall before slipping off his halter. The old gelding doesn't spare any of us another glance. He's already buried his nose in the fresh flakes of alfalfa waiting for him.

Paris latches the stall door before turning back toward Serena. "It's a privilege," she says, emphasizing the word with a bright smile, "to take care of a horse who took care of me through my entire childhood. It's a privilege that he's thirty-five years old and thriving because I have the means to give him the retirement he deserves."

Paris points at Serena with an accusatory finger when she says,"It's also a privilege that I'm not the kind of spoiled brat who ships her horses off to God knows where every time Daddy buys her a newer model."

Serena looks like she bit into a lemon. I guess Paris knows all of her buttons. “You don’t understand a single thing about horse ownership. You don’t follow any rules and I…”

"You listen to me," Paris continues, still sounding almost painfully cheerful, "because I'm getting really tired of your sour face. What I do with my horses is none of your business. I want to ride in a western saddle with an English bridle while wearing sparkly pink cowboy boots and my dressage helmet while trotting a twenty-meter circle in an open field; I'll do exactly that. And you are not going to speak to me about it."

Serena stares at Paris blankly.

"It's just... it's one of my biggest pet peeves when people get things wrong about horses. Like the other day you called Buster a baby horse instead of a miniature⁠—"

Benjamin throws his head back.

"Oh my God," he groans. "This is mind-numbing."

Paris takes another step toward Serena when she asks, "You know what my biggest pet peeve is? People who think they're so important that anyone gives a singular fuck what they think."

Serena visibly shrinks.

"Oh," Paris adds casually, "and if you bother Blair again, I'll tell Elijah, and he won’t think twice about snapping your neck."

Serena gasps. Actual tears spring into her eyes before she spins around and practically sprints toward the opposite end of the barn.

Just when I think we’re finally alone, the office door swings open, revealing a very high-alert barn manager.

Karin storms out carrying her infamous lime-green fly swatter in hand like she’s preparing for battle. When she speaks, I realize that the Moretti triplets can incite trouble with just the utterance of their names.

"Did I hear someone say Elijah?" she demands, scanning the barn and then narrowing her eyes on Ben. She looks him up and down as if she’s just making sure it isn’t Elijah wearing glasses he ripped off someone else’s face. "If he’s in my barn and I find ONE thing thrown around again I’ll⁠—"

Karin stops speaking the second she sees me, and her expression softens instantly. "Well." She smiles. "It's good to see you back." Her expression sharpens once more as she points the fly swatter toward Benjamin without missing a beat. "I let you stay because you follow Paris around like a lost puppy, but you keep your brother out of here. And keep your other brother away from my fence."

Benjamin sighs, and I’m confused, because what did Noah do to the horse fencing? I mean, truthfully, do I want to know?

“It was one time,” Paris says sweetly, because Benjamin certainly isn’t going to defend his brother.

“He made another student bite the electric fence until he was crying in my field,” Karin says flatly, like it maybe isn’t the worst thing a Moretti has done in her domain.

“Did you ask him why he did that or did you just assume he didn’t have a good reason?” Paris asks brightly, rubbing her hand over the crest of Moonbeam’s neck.

“Are you his attorney now?” Karin shoots back.

“I am pre-law, so eventually, probably,” Paris says this so sweetly that I have to turn my head so Karin doesn’t see that I’m smiling.

“Well, you’ll be very busy with paperwork, I’m sure,” Karin says, turning on her heel to head toward the doors that lead to the parking area. “Don’t touch anything in my office!” She waves her fly swatter overhead without turning around for good measure.

The entire facility is outfitted with an automatic fly spray system along with so many other luxurious amenities that are really unnecessary. There’s never a fly in sight, which means Karin carries her handy-dandy flyswatter to smack people that are Moretti triplet shaped with it.

"You sure got sassy while I was gone." A laugh slips out before I can stop it, and for a second it feels like we're right back where we belong, teasing each other in the middle of the barn without anything bad looming overhead.

Paris laughs too, but it fades almost as quickly as it comes. Her bright smile softens, and I watch something heavier settle over her expression as she reaches up to smooth an imaginary wrinkle from Moonbeam’s forelock.

"I found out I'm slated for the third Choosing Ceremony." I can tell by the way she presses her lips together and blinks in quick succession; she’s trying not to tear up.

The words steal every bit of amusement from my chest. I’ve been so busy trying to survive that I hadn’t considered Paris. I can’t let them send her to Onyx Dominion too. I just can’t bear the thought of it.