Sophia's POV
Chase tacked up two horses while I stood watching, fascinated. I know nothing about horses or how to ride, so I'm a little scared.
Okay, I'm terrified.
One horse was tied up and the other Chase was holding firmly by the reins. He beckoned for me to come over.
As I drew nearer, I saw how beautiful my horse was. She was a tall, majestic dapple grey with a white blaze down the centre of her face. The one thing I know about horses is markings and colour. Beyond that, pff.
Chase let go of her reins and stood by her side, motioning me closer.
"Sophia, this is Spirit. You're going to be riding her today" he paused, a smile growing on his face as he gazed at the horse. "She's a wonderful beast, aren't you Spirit?" He cooed, stroking her muzzle gently. Spirit rubbed her face into him and blew out a soft breath. Chase laughed while stroking her neck affectionately in return.
I like the side of Chase that I've discovered today. He seemed most comfortable and relaxed around the horses. It's his forte, I guess.
"Want a leg up?"he asked, focusing on me again.
I shook my head. I'm going to show I'm not an idiot, and can get on a horse by myself. It can't be that hard, right?
"Oh darling. You're no idiot. If anyone is, it's me" he said reading my thoughts, muttering the last bit so I hardly heard him, so I didn't pry further.
I'd show him. I grabbed Spirit's saddle and pulled myself up. Spirit let out a squeal and reared. I fell back and landed on my butt, causing Chase to snigger.
I got to my feet and tried again.
I failed on the first four attempt. On my fifth attempt, I managed to get myself up... and over the other side.
I landed in a strong pair of arms. Still chuckling, Chase stole a brief kiss before putting me down on my feet. I huffed, annoyed with him but more with myself.
"Can I have that leg up now?" I asked sheepishly. He chuckled as if he was expecting me to ask him eventually.
"Okay. So stand on one leg" I did as he asked. He grabbed my other leg. "On three, you have to jump."
I have him a skeptical look.
He sighed. "You have to trust me, Sophia. I'm not going to let anything happen to you"
He'd already let me fall on the floor several times, though...
I took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay" I whispered.
"One, two, three!" He pushed my leg up with carefully controlled strength.
I was hoisted into the air before landing on Spirit's back. I got comfy in the saddle while Chase adjusted my girth and stirrups.
Chase then got onto his own horse, another dapple grey called Gemini.
Let's just say he was a lot more graceful than I was when it came to getting onto horses. Well, he was more graceful than me at everything...
"Ready?" He asked me.
One look at my panicked expression told him I wasn't.
"You haven't been riding before, have you? Horses, that is. But there's no doubt you've ever ridden either" he said, smirking at me suggestively. I wish I could smack it off his smug face.
"Give Spirit a light squeeze with your legs" I did as he asked, but Spirit didn't move. Chase sighed.
"She's taken a strong disliking to you. Squeeze her harder" I did, and Spirit gave a mighty buck.
I flew forward and tensed, preparing for the impact that never came. Cautiously, I opened my eyes.
Chase was holding me, looking at me with worried black eyes.
"Are you okay?" He asked me slowly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close. I don't know what came over me, but I wasn't about to stop it.
"I am now" I replied, pressing my lips gently to his.
He smirked into the kiss, and swung me around so my legs could wrap around his waist.
"I. Need. You." He growled through the kiss. His kisses were firm and urgently, different to Tristan's soft and slow ones.
I'm kissing Chase. Why should I compare him to Tristan right now? Urgh I feel like such a slut!
"Chase... stop" he pulled away, giving me a confused look.
"You're not a slut" he spoke softly.
He's right you know. You just have several urges at the moment. It's all a part of choosing. Who makes you feel the best? Who kisses you the best? Who do you want to submit to the most? Accept me, and I'll be able to choose for you. I can help you. Just let me in. You have to when you turn anyway. Just accept me now.
"Stop it!" I hissed at the voice, making Chase chuckle.
"Internally at war with yourself? It sucks, right? I know the feeling. Pretty intense though, isn't it?"
"How do you know?" I asked bitterly. How can he possibly what what it feels like? He's always been a vampire! I got the short straw. Female, and a vampire turned human going to turn vampire!
Chase sighed again, obviously reading my mind. "Let me explain, though it may take a while, there's a lot of information to take in" he told me, pulling me closer to him.
"When we stop physically aging, which is around 26 in human years, we go through the whole coming of age thing. Every vampire has to go through it. As children, we live as humans, eating their food because we have human bodies at that age, until we are roughly sixteen. The only difference is we are still practically immortal and have vampire parents guiding us. Some vampire children don't even know what they are until they change, because they may have lost their parents and been adopted by humans or something. At roughly 16, we go through The Turning. It's an automatic process, we can't stop it. We change mentally as well as physically. Yes, our fangs develop among other physical changes, but what's worse is that mentally we are waging a war. Our human mind fights the vampire side. Our thoughts and feelings change as we change. As humans, we may have despised vampires. But as a vampire, we're accepting. As a human, we may have fallen in love. When we change, it's most likely those feelings will drastically alter, sometimes disappear completely. So our outlooks change, and I haven't even got to the pain yet. The burning, the crushing feeling in your head, the aching gums, the agony. Oh, that's only the surface of how it feels. Plus we're fighting the voice in our head telling us to accept it and do things we don't want to, things the seem wrong. But eventually, it wins. That's the price of becoming one of us. But we have no choice. And neither do you." He finished, setting me on my feet.
I wanted to hug him and slap him at the same time.
"Our a happier note, we still have time together" he added. I smiled, unable to stay angry at him.
"How? Spirit hates me"
It was his turn to smile. He pointed at where Gemini was tied up.
"He can take us both" Chase then proceeded to remove Gemini's saddle and placing it carefully on the fence. He looked at me over his shoulder. "Come on then! Time is ticking"
Soon, we were both sat on Gemini's back. I sat at the front near his neck and Chase sat behind me, reins in one hand and his other arm around me.
"Hold onto his mane if you need to, but I've got you. I won't let you fall my darling" he said before he began trailing kisses down my neck.
I giggled and leant into him. He inhaled and closed his eyes.
Eventually, I asked "Shall we go then?" Not that I wasn't enjoying it, because I really was. But I wanted to go horse riding with him. We could kiss anytime...
He groaned and kept kissing me, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
Then I thought of something to surprise, annoy and get his attention. I smiled to myself, not knowing what had come over me.
I looked over my shoulder. Then I kissed his cheek and palmed him through his trousers.
He gave me a startled look, but didn't object. What am I doing?!
I've covered surprising him and getting his attention. Now to annoy him.
I stopped completely. He growled at me and his eyes shot open.
"You're in trouble, my darling Sophia"