I sucked in breath, shook my head and whispered, “I keep telling you –”
He reached down and wrapped his fingers around my arm again, hauling me up and he gave me a shake that snapped my head back so hard, I saw stars.
Salem whinnied.
Noctorno’s body went still and I heard him draw in a sharp, hissing breath through his teeth.
“Stop playing that damned, bloody game,” he warned, his face close but I was still blinking away the bright lights in my eyes.
“I… I… I swear, God, I swear, I’m not.”
He shoved me away again and the small of my back hit the sharp edge of the top of a pew. I whimpered but he strode away.
He stopped at the door and looked to his horse.
“Do not let her leave.”
Salem snorted.
Noctorno turned and jogged down the steps, disappearing without looking back.
Chapter Ten
Minerva
“Get out of my way, Salem,” I commanded.
The horse snorted and shuffled across the space at the front of the church, blocking the doors with his massive body.
“Get out of my way, Salem!” I shouted and the horse snorted again, his front legs buckled like he was going to go down on his knees then he reared up and snorted again.
“I’m leaving!” I announced.
Salem whinnied what sounded like frantically.
I planted my hands on my h*ps and looked the horse in his eyes.
“You saw him!”
He blew through his lips and his mighty head swung side to side.
“He shook me! He nearly snapped my goddamned head off!”
The horse moved closer to me and butted the side of my head with his nose.
I grabbed it and pulled it down to catch his eyes again.
“I don’t care about Minerva,” I told him, my voice suddenly low and trembling. “Right now, the devil I don’t know is way, way better than the devil I do.”
A soft, apologetic whinny.
I shook my head. “I have to get away from him. He’s mean, he’s bossy and he won’t believe I am who I am.”
He shoved his nostrils in my neck and blew.
I felt tears sting my eyes and wrapped my arms around the beast’s necke.
“He hurt me,” I whispered.