Chapters (42)
- Title Page
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Acknowledgements
- Also by Kim Harrison
- Copyright
- About the Publisher
- Cover
“Go pet the horse,” I grumbled. “Do you people know the bite pressure of those teeth? “Wiping my hand on my black slacks, I reached out, jerking when the horse hung his head over the wall and head-butted me.
“I’ll be damned,” Nick swore, and Jenks laughed again.
“I don’t get this,” I said, as shocked as Ivy appeared, her black eyes wide and wondering. My hands went up to touch him, and I looked for a halter to put on him so I could lead him out. But when my gaze fell on the nameplate, my jaw dropped. “Tulpa?” I said, and the horse blew at me, seeming to be disappointed that I didn’t have a snack for him.
“Ivy, this is the horse I fell off,” I said, seeing that she was allowed to touch the gate now. “It was like thirteen years ago. Horses don’t live that long and look this good.” My focus went blurry as I pieced it together. “You’re Trent’s familiar, aren’t you, old boy,” I said as I slipped inside the stall as if I belonged. Tulpa wouldn’t hurt me.
“Tick tock, Rache,” Jenks said, and I cooed at the huge animal, not caring what Nick or Ivy thought as I ran my hands appreciatively over his black coat, glistening with the first hints of silver. God, the muscles on him. “Come on in,” I said as I shoved his shoulder, and the horse obediently shifted to the wall of the big stall. “Back. Back up,” I said, my hand on his neck giving a soft pressure, and I smiled when the horse took two more steps off the trapdoor. At least Trent’s horse liked me. I should write him a letter and tell him. It would make his day.
Ivy came in, and Jenks, eying the blowing horse as she found the lever and swung the small trapdoor open. Clearly the horse was used to it, making only a snuff at the artificial light at his feet. His head dropped as if searching for a familiar face coming up and perhaps an apple. Ivy started down the metal stairs, her vamp reflexes making it easy one-handed, but Nick was still in the hallway.
Jenks put his hands on his hips and hovered. “What’s wrong, crap-for-brains?”
Her head even with the floor, Ivy hesitated. “You don’t have to come.”
Grimacing, he eyed me and the horse. His hand on the gate prompted a sudden shifting from Tulpa, but I pushed him back. Horses were great. Once they accepted your dominance, there was no question. They sort of seemed to like it.