Oath of the Alpha - Eva Dresden Page 0,70

breeches Er’it gave her to wear every morning beneath the useless skirts of her wardrobe, she still scrambled to pull the flowing material down from where it had bunched at her knees.

Er’it pressed his knees against Kal’s sides, sending the Phylix into a breakneck gallop. Aida’s short scream echoed against the mountains and well into the dark forest as she fisted Kal’s silken mane to keep her seat despite Er’it’s strong arms holding her in place.

The sound of his husky laughter worked its way down her spine, prickling her flesh as the scenery swept past. Strangely enough, she found a smile on her lips, one as exalted and reckless as the man behind her. She didn’t concentrate on the weary agony of the blighted trees or the crushing presence of the steep cliffs. Aida opened her mouth, catching the stinging bits of snow upon her tongue as they raced through the stillness.

“Just like this, kou’va,” Er’it said in a teasing growl against her ear as another nudge sent Kal flying across a pristine field.

Great hooves churning through the snow, the Phylix flung the powdery stuff in a spray of glittering white behind them. As if whatever insanity infected Er’it translated to his creature, the Phylix performed slinking maneuvers that such a massive body should be incapable of executing. Dipping low and turning only to rear up and paw at the air, he gave a triumphant bellow at the icy drifts before falling back to the ground. Aida shrieked and gasped at Kal’s antics, holding on as tight as she could with legs and arms as the great beast cavorted around the field.

Breathless with her laughter when Kal came to a panting halt, Aida didn’t startle when Er’it slid his hands down her arms, but a line formed between her brows when he tucked the thick leather reins into her hands.

“Hold them loose,” Er’it said against her cheek, peering over her shoulder to adjust her tight grip on the worn leather. “He is not a dumb beast to be jerked about, but a gentle hand will guide him where you wish to go.”

Aida stammered half-formed sounds that despaired of ever becoming true words as she tried to voice some sort of denial. Before she could make sense of any of it, Er’it cupped her knees in his palms and pushed them into Kal’s sides, a careful squeeze that urged the Phylix into a slow walk.

“Relax, Aida,” Er’it admonished, rubbing his chest against her stiff back. He dipped his head down, nipping along the chilled line of her neck to place a heavy kiss at her shoulder. Finding the mark beneath her heavy layers without fail, his breath warmed her right through.

“What are you doing?”

“Trust him. He will not throw you or spook at some imagined danger.”

“It is not Kal that I question,” Aida muttered, clenching her fists over the reins to the point Kal twitched his head in annoyance at the uneven pull to his head.

“It is I, then? So be it.” Er’it clicked his tongue at Kal, bringing the Phylix to a quick stop. He slid from Kal’s back, crunching into the deep snow and peering up at Aida with a strange glint in his topaz gaze.

Aida gave a long-suffering sigh and dropped the reins to hold her arms out to the perturbing male. Her forehead wrinkled as he splayed a palm on her belly to push her back on the saddle until she sat in the warmed leather cradle he’d abandoned. She gasped when he tucked her foot into the stirrup, staring at him aghast as he slogged through the thick snow to do the same to her other booted heel.

“You may speak the commands if it is easier, but try to use your legs. It’s best not to warn your enemy of your next move,” Er’it said as he put the reins back into Aida’s hands. “Don’t jerk his head about. He’ll bite the thing clean off if you annoy him enough, and we don’t have another harness for him with us.”

“Er’it, what are you—”

“Go on, give him a nudge or tell him to walk on.”

“I will do no such thing! Get me down right now.”

“You are in control, kou’vera.” She felt the heat from his palm beneath the skirt she wore as he slid a hand up her leg, gripping high up on her thigh before he extricated it to give Kal’s rump a resounding smack. “Show her what you can do, my friend.”

“Er’it—” Aida screeched when