Page 15 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
“Why not?” Damian sensed the teenager’s hesitancy.
“Because we have to strategize how to get him out without him decapitating one of us.” Terrance rubbed the side of his head where Damian noticed a growing red knot. “Jasper doesn’t play around.One kick from him could send a man into orbit. I know because he tried.”
“This is the horse from Fink’s place?”
“Yep. One and the same.”
“His owner said he had onlyslightbehavioral issues.”
Terrance snorted. “Yeah, he doesn’t have any. Behavior, that is. It took a whole lot of prayer, a ton of luck, and some witchy hocus-pocus to get him into the trailer. And it worked for a while, but it wore off about fifteen minutes ago. Let me tell you, it’s not easy staying in your lane on the LIE when your haul is moving around like a jackrabbit.”
“Did you say they spelled him?” Rose stepped up, her gaze zeroed in on the black horse muzzle pushed against the trailer’s venting. “Was this before or after he was already worked up?”
Terrance’s eyes widened as if he recognized her, and he probably did. The Norm kid was all about Supernatural society and probably had a subscription to every Supernatural gossip magazine out there. “After… but why does it matter? Fink spelled him to make it easier to load him. I mean, it worked for a while.”
“And then when it wears off, you have an animal who’s confined, not on solid ground, and even more frightened than they were before. No witch—at least a good one—would ever do that to a poor animal.”
Terrance shifted uneasily from foot to foot as Rose slowly stepped closer to the confined animal. Jasper huffed through the vent, his eyes wide and watching her approach.
“Why did you take him if he was this out of control?” Damian asked, more than a little annoyed. “We can’t put him with the other animals like this, not to mention have him around the clinic clients as they come and go. He’ll knock down the entire building, and that’s if he doesn’t hurt someone—or himself—first.”
Terrance kicked his shoes into the dirt. “I had to, Damian. Fink was selling him to a processing plant if someone didn’t take him this morning. A fuckingprocessing plant,boss man. No way was I aboutto let him become glue or some shit. He’s not malicious or anything. He’s just misunderstood.”
The stallion kicked the back door, nearly shattering the latch. The entire trailer creaked and rattled.
Fuck it. Terrance was right. Damian wouldn’t have left the horse with that asshole, either. Whether they came from Supernatural owners or Norm, the Marisol Animal Sanctuary and Clinic—named after the literal angel who’d owned Miguel’s heart—provided a refuge for sick and abused animals. They’d never once turned an animal away, and he wasn’t about to start now.
“I’ll go get some leads,” Miguel said before disappearing back into the barn and returning with a few sets.
“Do you need me to do anything?” Rose asked, watching.
“Yeah. Stay back and out of the way. You’re my responsibility while you’re here and the last thing I want is for you to get kicked in the head.”
She tossed him a hard glare, but he didn’t care.
Damian, Miguel, and Terrance worked in tandem to secure the temperamental horse. While Miguel stood at the rear of the transport, Damian and the kid climbed into the main cab, latching two leads onto the halter the stallion already wore.
“Alright, Miguel. When I tell you, unlatch the gate and get out of the way. Jasper will probably back out like his hooves are on fire, and as he does, Terrance and I will follow him through until we clear him from the rig. On my count. Three. Two. One.”
Miguel unlatched the door, and as expected, the horse backed out in a rush, his rump bursting out from the rig to break free. But the stallion’s sense of freedom was short-lived as Terrance and Damian held him in place.
Black eyes widening, Jasper reared up and kicked out with his front legs.
A hoof clipped Damian in the shin so hard he saw stars. “Come on, boy. We’re sure as hell better than Fink.”
The horse didn’t seem to think so as he spun, nearly taking out Terrance. This was going downhill fast. Behavioral issues his ass. The horse was a menace.
Damian was about to direct them to switch gears and attempt to lead the stallion into the paddock on their left when movement at his side had him freezing in his spot.
Rose eased closer, her hands held out, palms up toward the horse. “Hey, Jasper…”
“You need to get back. Now,” Damian warned, voice stern.
“It’s okay.” She kept her gaze focused on the horse. “Isn’t it, boy? You’re not quite as scary as you wish you were.”
“He seems pretty scary to me,” Terrance muttered under his breath.
“Rose, I’m serious,” Damian added. “Get the hell back before he kicks you in the head.”
