Free Unleashed Fury (BloodRunes: Book 1) by Laura R Cole

is. Want to keep me company?”
    Layna froze. It was one thing to have a
conversation on the grounds with no one around, but to actually go
somewhere together was a whole other matter. She was reluctant to
spend time with someone so closely connected to Jezebel, even if
she wasn't exactly sure what that connection was. He saw her
hesitation and added, “I promise to take you somewhere to read and
then leave you alone. Look,” he said pulling a bow and arrow off
his back, “I wanted to do some target practice anyway. I'll take
you for a nice scenic ride somewhere you've never been and then
you'll still get to read while I entertain myself with target
practice. Deal?”
    Layna still wasn't comfortable with the idea
and her head was telling her to just say ‘no’, but the rest of her
was eager to go. Her good sense lost the battle, however, as
Gryffon had decided to take her silence as consent. He was already
leading her by the elbow towards the stables. His directness threw
her off-guard, and she didn't know how she could gracefully refuse
the invitation. Instead, she obediently followed him inside where
he stopped in front of one of the horse's stalls. Besides, I’m
supposed to do what the nobles ask me to, aren’t I? The pesky
voice of good sense grumbled something in the back of her head, but
she ignored it.
    While he grabbed the tack for the stallion,
Layna wandered to the black horse stabled at the end. “Hello there,
Gorgeous,” she purred to the creature, stroking its mane.
    Gryffon looked over at her. “You talking to
me?” he asked jokingly.
    Layna blushed furiously; glad her cheeks must
already be rosy from the cold. “The horse on the end here, my lord.
I come visit him sometimes and I nicknamed him Gorgeous, because,
well...he just is.” She smiled and patted the horse's nose. The
horse lipped at her hand, looking for a treat.
    “Too bad,” said Gryffon grinning, pulling a
saddle from its stand. “His real name is Fly, short for Firefly.
He's one of my favorites. Would you like to ride him?” He glanced
at her for approval and she gave a nervous nod.
    “You realize, of course,” she informed him,
“that I've never ridden a horse before, right?”
    Gryffon gave her a mischievous grin. “Nothing
to it, old Fly here handles like a charm.”
    The word triggered her memory and she said,
“Thank you for the necklace, by the way. It's beautiful. But I
really don’t think I can…” she reached up to take it off, but he
interrupted her.
    “Keep it. I promise I won’t tell.”
    He gave her a wink, but said nothing more
about it, so Layna dropped her hands a bit reluctantly and asked
instead, “So what do I need to know about riding?”
    Gryffon gave her the rundown of the basics to
horseback riding, patiently explaining when she questioned parts of
it. When she felt as though she at least knew enough to make a go
of it, they led the horses outside, her with Fly and him with his
new horse, Battle Axe.
    “I didn't name him,” Gryffon had clarified
before she could comment. “He was already trained to respond to it
when I got him, so other than shortening it to 'Axe' I'm stuck with
it. One hell of a horse though”
    Gryffon positioned her next to Fly and made a
step with his hands; hoisting her up onto the horse, and helping
her get her feet in the stirrups. The ease with which he lifted her
up surprised her and she plopped down onto Fly's back with a loud
smack.
    “Oof,” she exclaimed.
    He chuckled and handed her the reins. In one
fluid motion, he mounted his own horse, and after briefly
demonstrating the commands, they began a slow walk. The motions of
the horse felt jerky underneath her at first, but she soon learned
the patterns of the movement and adjusted her own to match so that
she and the horse were moving together.
    As Layna became more comfortable, Gryffon
urged Battle Axe into a trot and then a canter. He showed Layna
each and then helped her to master them as well.
    “You're a