Page 16 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
The horse’s head turned toward Rose and the beast blew out a heavy breath, his nostrils flaring as his leg pawed the ground.
“Rose…”
“It’s okay, boy…”
The horse pawed the ground again, his eyes fastened on the approaching witch… and then the damnedest thing happened. Hecalmed. No Magic. No strong-armed tactics. Instead of working against Damian and Terrance to break free, the stallion pulled on the leads to get to Rose.
Terrance’s mouth went slack before beaming wide. “See! He’s a good boy!”
Rose let the horse sniff her hand before she rubbed his nose. “Youarea good boy, aren’t you, Jasper?”
He huffed out a breath, the air making Rose’s hair fly back, and the witch giggled.
Damian had a tough time taking his gaze off them… offher. He suddenly understood Jasper’s enamored actions because he feltthe draw, too. He felt it, identified it, and buried that shit down deep because no good would come of it.
Miguel chuckled. “Looks like someone was fated to work with animals, huh?”
His mentor’s words broke Damian of his spell, and he tossed the older man a warning look that had him grinning. “Let’s get him in a stall before he decides to stop being a good boy. Rose… do you mind?”
“Sure. Which one?” She held out a hand for one of the leads, and Terrance eagerly handed his over.
“Far end from Butternut and Squash… just in case.”
Rose led the horse into the barn. They didn’t even need the lead, Jasper practically glued to her side as she walked him into the far stall.
Terrance had already filled up the food and water, and by the time he finished, Jasper damn near looked as docile as a kitten. Damian took Rose’s elbow and eased her from the stall, and a split second after they closed the door, the stallion reared, front hooves kicking the wall.
Rose yelped in surprise.
“Are you okay?” Damian scanned her quickly from head to toe to make sure she hadn’t been clipped.
“I’m fine. He just startled me.” She frowned at the horse, giving Damian a good view of her pulse heartbeat at the base of her throat. “I don’t know what happened… maybe I can—”
“No.” He blocked her way back to the stall where Jasper, although still pissed, was no longer kicking the shit out of the walls. “You don’t go near that animal. You hear me?”
“But he was calm—”
“Does he look calm now?” She opened her mouth to argue. “This isn’t negotiable. You listen, or I’ll let the Council reassign you.”
She clamped her mouth shut, folding her arms over her chest. “Fine.”
“Good.”
“You’re the boss.”
“Yes, I am.” He cursed, blowing out a heavy breath. “Terrance will show you what to do and how things work around here.”
Terrance stood nearby, already nodding. “Sure. I can do that. I’m practically a professional shit-shoveler.”
Damian shot him a look and the kid blushed.
“Sorry, Damian.” He smiled shyly at Rose. “Let’s give you the thousand-dollar grand tour. I know this place doesn’t look like much, but it’s practically Magic.”
Rose chuckled. “Magic, huh?”
“Yeah… because the only time Damian’s not a complete grump is when he’s here working.” Terrance laughed, laughing harder when Damian grabbed a nearby horse blanket and threw it at his head.
Damian watched Rose walk away, wearing the dingy overalls and those too-big rubber boots as she followed the teen out toward the back paddock. Once that problem was out of sight, it was time to focus on the one made even more dire with their new cantankerous addition.
