Making a clicking sound, Morgan had Shiloh turn and she let her do what she wanted.

Morgan bent low, and Shiloh took off at a canter.

Her mane and tail flew behind her, fanning out, and it really was magical to watch. I’d witnessed this first hand, and so much more, but I was as much awestruck as the rest.

Morgan let Shiloh go as fast as she wanted before reining her in and having her gallop just as fast back to where we were. She kept doing it, and there was one time Morgan sat up, arching her back and letting her head fall back. Her hair looked like an extension of Shiloh’s mane, flying free behind her as she let her arms fall out like she was flying.

“Wow.”

I heard Kara’s soft word and glanced down. Her eyes were glued to Morgan, as were everyone else’s.

After Shiloh’s need to run waned, the mustang faltered to a stop, and Morgan had her just walk around.

Shanna’s assistant appeared at my side. “Shanna wants to know if she would stand on her horse?”

I looked down at her. The assistant looked away for a moment, saying, “She knows she can. She saw it one time but didn’t catch it on camera.”

They wanted Morgan to be a show horse for them? Where she would perform tricks and acts on command?

I growled. “No!”

The assistant flinched and then ran back to Shanna.

I didn’t watch her relay my message. I was pissed, beyond pissed.

Morgan wasn’t a circus performer. I got that they wanted to capture some of her magic because that was truly what it was, magic, but she was precious and invaluable and she wasn’t there to be treated like an event at a goddamn festival.

Morgan stopped after a while. She and Shiloh cantered back over to where we stood, and Kara seemed braver. She stepped forward, her toes dipping into the river. She wasn’t scared of the mustang like she had been moments before.

Sensing my anger, Morgan narrowed her eyes at me in a questioning manner. Her head tilted to the side, just a slight bit.

But Shanna was at my side, and she was just as breathless as before. “That was amazing, Morgan. Truly amazing.” She stopped, gulped, and looked at me.

I knew what she wanted to ask.

I shook my head. Don’t do it—

She did, “Could you stand on her? For just a moment?”

“What?”

“You know, I saw you that night outside the estate. We were all in the living room and you were out there. I saw you standing on your horse. Could you do it again?” She was so excited, her hand jerking toward the cameras. “It would be really amazing for the movie.”

“Let it go, Shanna,” I said. “She already gave you more than enough.” And she knew it. She turned and looked at me, her eyes telling me she did. But she wanted more. I saw her hunger. She wanted as much from Morgan as she could take.

It would be like trying to get water from a rock. Eventually, she would throw the rock away in disgust.

I moved in front of her, physically standing in her way. “She’s done enough.”

Kara stood next to me, shoulder to shoulder.

I was surprised but thankful.

She said, “She’s done enough, Shanna.”

We were both protecting Morgan, but it wasn’t entirely about that.

We’d both been used at one point. We were pushed to the extreme, having demands placed on us that we wanted to fulfill because we wanted to please others. We wanted to do as much as we could for our directors, agents, producers, and fans, but there was a price. There was always a price. And if we kept trying, we became hollow inside.

In that moment, Kara was with me.

We were protecting Morgan from becoming like us. We were doing this because we wished someone had done it for us.

I said quietly, inclining my head, “You have enough, Shanna.”

There was a splash of hooves cutting through water, and then Morgan and Shiloh were on our bank, and she was approaching where we stood.

Shiloh moved forward, and Shanna was backing away.

She was looking from Morgan’s face, to Shiloh’s hooves, and then to me. She repeated the gesture, going around and around until I was convinced she would make herself dizzy, “What are you doing?”

Morgan had no words for herself. She cracked a grin. “You’re upsetting Brody. Shiloh’s grown somewhat fond of him.”

Shanna looked perplexed.

Kara started laughing. She poked me in the side. “Good thing the stallion doesn’t see you as a threat. He must take pity on you.”

I looked up to Morgan. “You should maybe go. Shiloh’s going to hurt someone.”

She was watching the rest of the crew. They were all watching us back, and the braver ones were starting to move closer. They wanted to pet the mustang, but Shiloh wasn’t an animal in a petting zoo. She was wild and dangerous and the only one allowed to ride her was Morgan.

Her entire body was alert and tense. Power rippled from the mustang, and Morgan was immune to it. I looked up and gazed at her in a new light. She wasn’t immune to it. She was included in it.

As she sat on top of that horse, she was every bit as powerful as the mustang. The bond was so clear and evident that I wouldn’t have been surprised to see invisible strings attaching the two.

But Morgan made a decision then.

She slid off Shiloh, and as soon as Morgan’s feet touched the ground, the mustang sprang away. It was like they had rehearsed it or had a conversation ahead of time, but Shiloh didn’t hesitate. She crashed through the river and then was gone into the trees. It took three seconds to happen.