Suddenly very curious, I turned towards Blond and asked, “What would you like?”
He turned his attention towards me, and for the first time since the fifteen minutes that we had known each other, he smiled at me—a real smile.
“Although the most brilliant of literature are available in the castle library and I would love to roam the dungeons and secret pathways where the pirates were slain and beasts held hostage, I want the scholarship.” I nodded and turned back to look at the castle.
What beasts was Blond talking about?
The feeling of my feet pushing itself forward registered slowly before I found myself staring at the castle and my hands, sliding the window open.
Is someone living there right now? How many rooms can there be?
I swept my gaze along the windows of the castle but stalled when I saw someone staring back at me. It seemed a he. His bulky built made sure of showing no confusion even if he was so, so far away. It was quite distinguishable that he was wearing a white shirt, but that was all that could be made sense of. The rest was a blur.
“Hey, Blond, come here!” I whispered, motioning Blond to move forward.
“Blond?” he asked quite confusedly and sounding outraged as he made his way to me.
The man was still staring. His stare seemed so intense it made hairs stand at the back of my neck. I turned towards Blond, wishing he could see the strange man just as I did. Castles were always haunted. But the one I would see day and night could not possibly be haunted, could it?
“Can you see the man?”
“What man? I see no man,” he whispered back, scrunching his eyes as he looked in the direction of the castle.
I turned towards the castle, and the man was gone.
“He was just there! I promise!”
He looked at me frowning for a second before his smile came back.
“I can help you decorate your room.” He offered, looking as if he really were interested in sorting out my mess.
I smiled as I brushed a stray of brown hair behind my ear, silently thanking God for his sudden offer to decorate my bedroom. It would have taken me all day and night, otherwise.
“Let’s do this.”
If you enjoyed this sample, look for
Mated to the Alpha King
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Chapter 1
I settled myself on the saddle, feeling the powerful horse’s every stride as he moved. I took a deep breath, letting all of my previous worries waft away. Here, with my beautiful horse, Poison, I didn’t have to worry about curtseying properly, the right fork to eat a salad with, or the best way to wear a tiara. All I had to think about was rising on the correct diagonal while keeping myself in a calm, happy state.
I glanced at the small fences that I had set up in the massive indoor arena and encouraged Poison into a smooth canter. He took off easily, his ears perked forward with excitement. As we got closer to the jump, I could feel his pace quicken beneath me with excitement so I gently tugged on the reins, bringing him back to reality, then steered him around the jump. Poison obeyed, like I knew he would.
He loved jumping, but he didn’t work on autopilot. He snorted and shook his head, annoyed with my tricks, but when I looped him around and switched his lead, he still stayed at a good, level pace. Even when we approached the jump, he stayed eager and responsive.
The barn door slammed as someone entered.
“Princess Adeline!”
Poison let out a startled scream at the booming voice and dug his heels down into the sand. I had been ready to jump with him and not prepared for a sudden stop. I let out a surprised cry as I tumbled forward, falling onto Poison’s strong neck.
I quickly collected myself, sitting upright and getting a better grip on the reins. Once I had gotten myself together, I gave the reins a light tug, grounding Poison as I spoke soothingly to him. The black beast didn’t bolt like he would’ve months ago, but I could feel how antsy he had become.
I glared over at the guard who stood stiffly at the door, staring at me as if he had done no wrong.
“What is it?” I hissed out through tightly clenched teeth. “What was so important it couldn’t wait till after I was over the jump?” I demanded.
The guard, Preston, just ticked his chin up defiantly. “The queen and king demand your presence for dinner,” he said, his gray eyes narrowing into slits. “So I suggest you get off that animal and go straight to the palace.”
I hated Preston. I hated him with all I had in me. Since I had been a young girl, my parents had deemed him to be the only one who could look after me, though I protested extensively. He was arrogant beyond belief and less than thrilled when he found out he was going to be nothing more than a baby sitter. Still, my parents were fairly busy, and I knew there was very little time we got to spend together.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I sighed reluctantly.
I wanted to defy Preston for the sheer purpose of setting his teeth on edge, but my parents would not be pleased.
Preston shook his head. “Now, Princess, they were quite frustrated when I left; we don’t want to make them angrier.”
“But Poison needs to be cooled down and brushed,” I protested.
“You have staff for that. Hand him off to a groom and come with me,” he ordered.
I wanted to snap at him, remind him that I
