A Rider's Recovery {Book Two of The Little Brown Mare Series}

Chapter 3

Gemma's POV

I stare as Livvie twists her hands nervously. "What are you doing here?" I demand.

Lilah's still in shock, I think. She stares, openmouthed, eyes wide. And then something in her eyes changes. 

"Get out of here," she hisses. "You're not welcome here."

Livvie reaches out a hand, holding the door open. "Can we at least talk?"

"No," Lilah says.

Livvie starts to plead her case, but I stop her. "Lilah doesn't want to see you, and neither do I. It would be best if you left."

And I slam the door in her face, locking it for good measure. Lilah leans back, sighing in relief. I link my arm through hers. "Want to go for a ride?"

She looks out the window. "Much too dark."

I nod. "Okay. Tomorrow, then."

Lilah shakes her head. "I'm doing better, but I'm not completely better. If I tried riding now I'd injure myself further. I'm going to wait at least another week."

"Oh." I purse my lips in thought. 

Lilah laughs. "Guess what I did while I was in the hospital."

I bite my lip. "I don't know. What did you do?"

"I read, like, a thousand cheesy romantic novels."

I slap my palm to my forehead. "Holy shit, Lilah, you know I love those. What did you read?"

Lilah taps her chin. "The Selection..."

I grin. "Break my heart, break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway."

Lilah claps her palm over her mouth. "No. I can't get into this again, I'm already half in love with a whole shitload of other characters."

"What other books did you read?"

"Folk of the Air, Throne of Glass, The Hunger Games, and a bunch of really good standalone novels."

My grin widens. "She's my wife. The rightful Queen of Elfhame. And most certainly not in exile."

"Stop, Gemma!" Lilah squeaks. 

"To whatever end, fireheart."

Lilah falls back on the couch. "Gemma, I'm trying to stop being in love with fictional characters. They're just so unrealistic and they set my standards too high."

I drop down on the couch next to her. "It's no use fighting it, Lilah."

Lilah groans. "I don't want to spend my money, life, and sanity on fictional worlds that are of no use to me."

"You need to figure out what to do with your life. I get it," I say, leaning back. 

Lilah closes her eyes. "More like I need to stop dreaming about saving Terrasen from a bunch of Valg."

"As in, daydreams or..."

"Yes, Gemma," Lilah says. "Books have worked their way into my dreams."

"Damn, Lilah," I say. "You really are one of us."

"One of us?"

"Yeah, did you never notice me wandering around school with my nose in a book?"

"No, never."

"Hm."

Lilah frowns. "You know what else has worked its way into my dreams?"

"What?"