Velvet Midnight - Max Walker Page 0,39

me. No matter what. And I felt like I was the world to them.”

“But your dad—”

“Is a raging bigot, yeah, that part is what ruined us. It didn’t start until he met Sylvia, then it all went downhill from there.” He let out another sigh. “It was a slow change, but she changed him for sure.”

“You think there’s a way of getting through to the old him?”

Rex shook his head, his eyes aimed straight ahead, one hand loosely holding the reins and the other on his leg. He really did seem like a pro at this, and Electra seemed like the perfect horse for him.

Also, Rex looked really fucking hot on a horse.

“It’s all right,” he said. “I don’t need him. He’s helped me for long enough. Now it’s time I find my own path.”

“Maybe you can get into politics, too? Take him out of his own seat.”

Rex huffed a laugh at that, clearly not believing it as much as I did. “That’ll be the day rescued river otters named Tammy start to fly.”

“Hear that, girly?” I said, down to the happy little otter. “You’re getting wings!”

16

Rex Madison

The day was bright, one of the brightest. There was a kind of magic in the air that I couldn’t quite pinpoint, but I could sure as hell feel it down in my bones. It rustled through the red and orange leaves, swirling around us. The trail we trotted down was completely surrounded by trees. I felt transported. Like we were somewhere else, far away, on some private island with our two horses, laughing and talking without a care in the world.

Benji’s smile made that magic all the brighter. Every time he laughed, every time his eyes lit up, I felt my heart soar further into the clouds. I wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but there was a noticeable shift in Benji’s mood.

This was the Benji I remembered. Always so quick to laugh and make others laugh along with him. His toothy grin could easily win anyone over.

I’d missed it since getting to the sanctuary, so every laugh and smile he gave me felt like a huge breath of fresh air.

“Look, follow me,” Benji said, pointing toward a thin path that was overgrown with bushes.

“Come this way.” He turned Canyon down the trail, and I followed, having to duck under some low-hanging branches. The vibes turned less scenic and more sketch, the trail thinning enough that we couldn’t ride next to each other. The sun was blocked out by the thickening canopy. The shadows grew thick, the path seeming to rise in elevation although I couldn’t see far enough ahead to be certain.

“Is this the part of the movie where you reveal your thirst for blood?” I asked.

“Are you saying—”

“I know what you are.”

He turned and gave me a serious look. “Say it. Out loud. Say it!”

I returned his deadly serious stare, seconds from cracking up. “A secret shopper.”

Benji’s jaw dropped, clearly not expecting that answer. He then started to laugh, filling the air with that beautiful sound of his. I joined in the chorus.

“You read the book, too?” Benji said.

I nodded. “Read all of them.”

“Annnnd?”

“Team Jacob.”

Benji nodded. “Makes sense, for a bear.”

It was my turn to drop my jaw. With a laugh, Benji raced ahead, Canyon picking up speed and turning a corner. I followed his lead, the sounds of our laughter and our horses echoing through the woods.

With our accelerated speed, it didn’t take much longer for us to arrive where Benji had been taking us.

And again, my jaw dropped.

The narrow and wild trail opened up onto a breathtaking field of colorful flowers that reached all the way up to the crystal-clear river babbling over smooth rocks and pebbles. The river ran straight over the edge of the small hill we had climbed up, creating a beautiful waterfall, the water bubbling and splashing off the large boulders at the edge of the river.

Benji was already tying Canyon to a tree. I got off Electra and did the same, looking around at the storybook clearing. “I didn’t know this was so close to the sanctuary.”

“Yeah, no one did until like three years ago. It’s been one of my favorite spots to hang out, although I haven’t come here in a while.” He looked around, like someone walking into an old childhood home, the walls feeling familiar but appearing different.

“I used to sit here and just put my feet in the water. The sounds would sometimes put me to sleep. Best sleep of