AFTER MY CONVERSATION with Slade, I took a few minutes to compose myself and then searched the castle for Lucian, who was no longer in his room. When I finally found him, he was outside by the stables, petting a powerful looking horse near the fence. It was mostly white with some patches of gray.
“Isn’t this stallion beautiful?” he said, running his hand along the side of its neck.
“Yes.”
“I had to charm him to get this close, obviously.” He smiled sadly. “I mentioned that I used to ride, didn’t I?”
I nodded. From what he’d told me, his father had owned several horses and Lucian spent most of his childhood around the stables. Unfortunately, they had a keen sense of vampires and would usually become agitated when we were near. It was always upsetting for Lucian, whom I knew had many fon
