His Forbidden Claim

I stirred awake the next morning from the sound of horses neighing and cows mooing. It was very different from waking up in New York with traffic blaring. In comparison to that, this sounded almost peaceful.

I dragged my feet off of the bed and walked to the door that led to the balcony. The view from up there was beautiful. The sun was already out, and the fields stretched out to a beautiful vegetation. Workers moved about with precision, each busy with their workload while children played about.

I stretched out, yawning softly as I turned around to walk back into my bedroom. From the corner of my eyes, I caught a figure standing at the far end of the compound, perched up on a black horse.

Adrian?

I watched as he softly guided his horse so he could turn towards me. The second his dark gaze landed on me, I was quite aware of two things. One, I was still in my flimsy nightgown that left absolutely everything to imagination, and second, Adrian's words from last night.

"I've already decided: Sienna cannot stay here."

The words echoed in my head as I stared right back at him. When someone else rode out, Adrian looked away instantly as if he had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

"Good morning, boss." The man greeted enthusiastically as he joined Adrian.

Adrian's expression changed from the cold exterior he had been wearing to something warm and inviting. Apparently, I'm the only one Adrian Blackwood couldn't be human with.

"Good morning, Gabino." Ready to set off?" I heard Adrian's voice ask as his horse started moving. The rest of his words were muffled but I could've sworn I heard something along the lines of 'Is that her?'

I went back inside my room, brushing off the deep, knotted feeling inside my stomach. It bothered me greatly how much Adrian's coldness affected me. The man was unpredictable: one moment he can't stand me, and the next, I find him staring at me in ways he shouldn't.

"Zoe? I thought we were going riding today?" I asked, confusion masked on my face when I walked into Zoe's room.

A small suitcase lay open on the bed, and she was folding clothes and toiletries into it. It looked like she was traveling. When she saw me, she sighed deeply, as if that would explain the entire situation.

"I'm so sorry, Si. I had the weekend off, but something came up at work. It's urgent—" Zoe worked at the local paper. She had a thing for news, always has since high school, so I wasn't surprised when she bought shares of the local paper company.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, worry etched in my voice as I jumped in to help her sort her stuff. "Do you need me to come with? I can pack a bag," I offered.

"No. Sienna, you came here to relax. I don't want to drag you into my crazy. But thank you. I just have to sort out a problem in the next town." Zoe explained as she reached for the zipper and closed the suitcase. "Now I might be gone for a day or the entire weekend, but not to worry, Lia will be here in a couple of hours, and she'll keep you company, most of the time anyway."

"Lia?" I asked as I leaned against her vanity mirror.

"You remember Gabino and Maria's granddaughter, right?" Zoe inquired as she pulled the handle of the suitcase up. "She was still a junior when we were seniors. She comes to help out from time to time, so you'll be in safe hands. Besides, Dad's here too."

Right. He's here.

I walked Zoe out to her car and watched as she drove off the rusty driveway. With both Zoe and Adrian gone, it suddenly felt quiet and slightly lonely. I had to remind myself that coming here had been with the intention of getting some quiet and peace for myself.

With my boots strapped on tightly, I followed the rough path that led to the stables. Zoe and I used to sneak out there to smoke back when we were still in high school. The place had hardly changed. Sure, a few renovations had been done on the outside, but once you walked inside, everything was still as it was.

I pushed the barn door open and walked in. A horse's neigh startled me, and I turned around to see one of the horses out of its paddock.

"Easy... Easy girl." I coaxed as I reached my hand forward to calm the horse down. It took a few more tries before she leaned her head against my hand. "There you go girl. Good girl." I whispered softly as I rubbed my palm gently on its shiny black fur. She was a beauty.

"Do you want to go for a ride? Yeah?" I asked, already reaching over to saddle her up. They say you can take a girl out of a farm, but you can never take the farm out of her.

It surprised me just how easy it was after so many years. What felt even more magnificent was being on a horse after so many years. The horse was majestic, and the wind that brushed against my cheeks as I rode was gentle, as if breathing new purpose into my life.

Until it didn't.

One second, I was riding deep into the fields; the next, I felt a sudden, sharp pain before everything went absolutely dark.