Colette’s Savage Stallion by Deirdre O’Dare  www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/ColettesSavageStallion.html

Blurb:  Colette deEstaing has adored Gaston, the son of her father’s master of horse, since they were both children. Now grown, she must wed an aristocratic friend of her noble father’s. When her fiancé assaults her in the stable, a savage stallion comes to her aid and kills the dissolute marquis.  That’s when she learns Gaston has inherited the ancient gift of shape-shifting into equine form. Shocked and fearful, she urges him to flee before he is accused of murder or witchcraft. But first she must convince him to take her virginity in one magical night of love…

Excerpt:  Warning-graphic violence!

Charles de Fayette stood in the middle of the barn, his foppish attire clashing with the pastoral setting. He held a lace-edged handkerchief to his nose as if the scent of horses, leather and fodder offended him, but that did not mute his voice.

“What do you mean my fiancée went off alone on a horse? Why, any ruffian could accost her. She could be thrown from her mount and lie helpless somewhere. She could–”

“But none of those things have happened. I am here and perfectly well as you can see if you will be silent a moment and look.” Colette stopped just beyond an arm’s length from him, in case he should choose to take his wrath out on her with a swift blow. If he did, it would not be the first time. Temptation to provoke him nibbled at her thoughts. She was sure the horse master would come to her defense before Charles could injure her seriously, and she would then have a witness to support her when she told her father of the abuse.

Charles whirled to face her, an expression of utter shock sweeping over his face as he saw her attire. “Breeches? How indecent. I can see I must take you in hand at once and teach you how a proper lady behaves. No wife of mine can be seen in public in such scandalous clothing. I am surprised your father permits this.”

“He does not know. I slipped out early needing some time alone to settle my nerves. Your visit has been very stressful.”

“Stressful? I will show you stressful.” He grabbed her arm and started for the nearest vacant stall. “It is past time you submitted to me. I will no longer tolerate your missish excuses. I can see plainly that you are not the timid, virginal creature you’ve pretended to be. For all I know, you were off seeing a secret lover behind my back. Well, there will be no more of that, my girl. You will not leave the barn until I have what I want from you.”

Everyone seemed to have vanished while his attention was fixed on her. No one appeared to stop him now as he dragged her across the wide aisle toward an open stall. She dug her heels in and strained against his grasp to small avail. Foppish he might be, but he was a large man and certainly stronger than she was.

He swung her in a half-circle and pushed her down into the thick straw carpeting the floor of the stall. She had hardly landed when he began to unlace his breeches, freeing himself  from their confines. He dropped to his knees astraddle her legs and clawed at the fastenings of her trousers, tearing the laces from the worn fabric with a violent rip.

The garment was old, a pair of Gaston’s pants, long outgrown, which he had slipped to her before their friendship decayed into the present state of chill remoteness. The fabric gave way leaving her nearly nude below the waist, covered only by the tails of her chemise, which she had tucked into the trousers to take up a bit of the excess space left by her much smaller waist.

When Charles leaned forward to grind his mouth upon hers in a rough, bruising kiss, his erection nudged at her belly. She flinched from the touch of his alien flesh, trying to scream around the barrier of his heavy, wet lips. Finally, in desperation as he forced her mouth open and thrust his tongue in, she bit down on it as hard as she could. With a howl of rage and pain, he drew back, but slapped her savagely across the face as he did. Blood streamed from his mouth, along with foul curses.

At that instant, a huge shadow darkened the doorway. It was a horse, a powerful stallion of silvery gray. Colette stared up in amazement as the beast’s massive jaws clamped on Charles’s shoulder and lifted him off her as easily as a child might lift a doll.

Charles’ roar of rage turned to one of terror as he realized what had captured him. The horse’s eyes gleamed fire-red in the shadowy barn as he backed a couple of steps, taking the man with him, still grasped in his strong bite. The horse tossed his head, shaking Charles as a dog might shake a rabbit or a rat.

After a moment, the stallion dropped the man’s limp body to the floor. He snorted fiercely. Then, rearing high, he came down with both forelegs stiff, hammering the man’s body. Again and again he reared and stomped, until Charles was little more than a lump of bloody flesh, nearly embedded into the planks of the floor.

Colette dragged herself to her feet, trying to hold the tattered remnants of her clothing to cover her body. She watched in shock as the enraged stallion trampled the broken body of her would-be lover and future husband. She could feel no sorrow or sympathy after the man’s harsh treatment, but the brutal violence still disturbed her. She shoved her fist against her mouth to stifle her whimpers of horror.

At last, the horse settled to all four feet and backed a half-length away from the remains of the man. The stallion snorted again, rolling flame-hot eyes. His massive body shuddered as if he fought to control the rage that still surged through him.

Hesitantly, Colette approached the trembling horse. She had to pass very close to him to retrieve her skirts from the tack room at the far end of the long barn. Never, since childhood, had she feared a horse. She didn’t actually fear this one, in spite of his ferocious behavior and the visible hints he was still on the edge of uncontrollable fury. Somehow she felt sure he would do her no harm, no matter how vicious he might appear. As she drew near, he lowered his head to her level. The velvet muzzle touched her cheek in the lightest possible caress. Then the beast whirled and thundered out of the barn, disappearing as quickly and inexplicably as he had come.