Her gaze lowered to the gelding she sat upon, the one who didn't quite make the cut to keep him intact. She could only wonder what glaring flaw it was that the equine possessed to have sealed his fate as a gelding forevermore and yet she wisely did not approach the topic here and now. But she could appreciate the pedigree and proper breeding practices. Horses bred in captivity needed rules to protect the favourable and let the poor flake away. "Ah, very good." The she-devil knew little of what made a good cowboy's horse.... Nor was she likely going to, especially not this night. After all, she was certain it would only earn her lover another blank stare, likely not the first or last one of the evening. The mated pair began to the ridge, but not before Darcy offered her that demonstration of riding with only one hand. Risque studied it with those cunning eyes of hers that rarely missed anything. She had always been a quick learner and she would not allow this one-handed riding to defeat her. Not in front of him!

It was easy enough, she declared confidently without a hint of doubt. Although she hardly possessed the same ease as Darcy did, as if her cowboy became an extension of his horse. But at the very least she was able to steer the creature and that was good enough for her, for now. The vampire queen then tested the animal beneath her and herself to steer around a debarked, pale fallen tree that reminded her of a femur, with growths in the form of large mushrooms poking out of it. Denim moved around it with ease.

There was no argument that Denim was an obedient horse, even despite such an odd way of steering. Her other hand felt almost wasted simply resting upon her thigh as the horses trudged along. Truly, western riding was bizarre. From the bulky tack to the one-handed riding. Never did she think to partake in something so... rugged. Even if it did suit her lover. She would not deny that. Simply glancing over at him, he possessed the look of a true man. The men in France were certainly not built that way. That she-devil would not admit that out loud. Yet at that moment, as if sensing her glance toward his way he urged his steed forward. Seth instantly loping forward to quickly close the distance between them. Show off. A hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of one side of her lips. What she did not expect was for her lover to boldly claim fault in French horses! Another slight against the French? So soon? There were several from this evening alone as if he were looking for a reaction. How he would have been the only man brazen enough to look for a reaction within her... and perhaps, the only one who could survive it. Let alone, get a proper reply. Although, the French vampire seemed to raise her chin, as she glowered at him from the corner of her eye. The vampire queen knew so little about cowboy horses and farming cattle alike.. but she did know France had their own breed meant for cattle. Whether they were comparable was another matter. Darcy's features took on an almost blank expression before claiming they could not be that good if the Americans did not have them! "Or perhaps simply... ignorant." Yes. That was exactly it. It was a rare breed after all. Far from common. "They are not common like these quarter horses are." Why anyone would name a breed of horses, a quarter horse was beyond her. Americans were not inventive enough with their names. The French at least had a way with words. Made even the plainest of them sound like poetry. Darcy seemed far from convinced, a man stuck in his ways. Stubborn. Although perhaps it was his frustration in saying the name she suggested. A man tangled up in pride. It was then that Risque offered a challenge that must be settled in France, a suggestion that certainly possessed an ulterior motive that she did not make known. How certain he would be unable to argue when he witnessed a truly ancient breed. Not that even Risque would even be able to pick them apart from a herd of mixed horses. But that was beside the point. After all, an ancient breed spoke to a strength that diluted breeds did not possess. After all, America was a fairly new country concerning the rest of the world.... And perhaps.... It was something for him that might be reason enough to find something of interest in France that he might not otherwise have.

Darcy's bafflement did not go unnoticed and yet she was unbothered by it, asking if she really meant to see a horse in France. "Oui. Do I look like I am joking? I have been meaning to plan a trip there, I have a little bit of business to attend to that won't take long.. but I wish to have a proper visit. It has been too long." She didn't need to have him there, she could have gone about her business alone and yet he was her mate and... she wanted him there too. The cowboy smartly agreed. That was good enough, for now.

"So it is settled then, you will go with me. Perhaps you might find at least one French thing that you like. Oh..do not look so sceptical, cowboy." That French lilt to her voice still forever present, where normal words possessed accents that otherwise would not. She turned her gaze forward again, finding the steady rocking movement of Denim's surefooted gait traversing over the ground oddly calming as she put the topic of France behind her for the moment.

Seth picked up his pace once he realized he was no longer in the lead. Those powerful limbs worked to pull him forward so that he easily settled in the lead to take them further up that incline. Denim hardly felt the need to match that pace or rival it as his gait remained what could only be described as leisurely.. So very slow and yet she was willing herself to simply.... accept the experience even though nature tried to attach itself in every which way. At least it was then she found a purpose for her free hand. To swipe away the bugs, to pick apart the burrs that threatened to stick to her jeans, or tuck away a misplaced strand of her midnight locks. Darcy seemed unphased by any of it, quite at home amongst the nature that surrounded him.

Lightning fast, she seemed to annihilate a bug within the palm of her hand. That stopped its confounded buzzing. Her lips pulled downward slightly in disgust, no sooner before she wiped the remains of it on Denim's black mane. Not that the beast seemed to care. At least it wasn't a spider. Risque shook her head as if drawing a firm line in the ground with spiders as she ran her fingers through Denim's black mane as if to feel its texture and to most importantly make sure any insect parts were satisfactorily dislodged! They better not try to crawl beneath her clothing or attach themselves to her long blue-black locks she had spent more than enough time grooming to perfection. Fortunately, such a thing was short-lived, as the further they went, the less nuisances seemed to matter. The pair made it to their destination atop that ridge. All thoughts of bugs were abandoned as they looked down into the vast, sprawling land below. She could hear the cattle before she saw them, not that they were hard to spot with the moonlight's glow lit the land below.

How long had it been since she had seen so much space with so little presence of humankind? Risque could hardly remember a time seeing so much of it. A form of feral beauty.

Darcy's accented voice rose as he gestured to each part. All of this was his, as far as the eye could see. It all had a purpose or at the very least, plan to be. He pointed out the cattle below as he explained how he obtained the land and the surrounding areas. It had certainly grown in size since the last time she had seen it. Hectares of land he acquired. After all, it was in a vampire's nature to acquire more. Yet, seeing all that land first-hand was..... a surprise she had to admit. It was certainly something worthy of praise. How the sound of those words from her lips seemed to cause his own to twitch into a rare smile. He was proud. Yet what did he plan to do with it all.... If anything at all... but knowing her lover and how she saw those gears working in his mind, he certainly had a plan. He explained how he wished to expand his herd of cattle, and how he planned to earn more money through that operation. Her gaze lowered to eye the beasts below. She hummed thoughtfully, there was something attractive about a man with ambition and Darcy had plenty of it, in Syn and here. She had no clue what all he said entailed but she could certainly see his desire.

The land had value, it always did and more land meant more power. It was something she learned well. It was addictive. It wasn't until he mentioned money per head that piqued Risque's attention. How she knew money, how to spend it, how to make it, how to make it work for her. Oh.... But she didn't know there was a market for this. That down below there were thousands of dollars simply waiting to be harvested with every pound of flesh they gained from eating. She supposed humans did need to eat.

She turned into her saddle as recognition of the potential seized her. This was not just a little hobby to dabble in. Darcy was creating something far more... Even in its infantile stages, it was already profitable. How he had grown from the feral vampire that she met upon that gory field... The man who could only recognize her amidst the blood haze.

Yet how even she could see that this could become something.

That was when he said it... asking her if she liked what he had acquired, for them.

For them?

Beyond that cabin he had made? He meant... all of it. Those words said so much and yet to see his motivation for all that he did, was not only for himself but for her.. spoke mountains more. They were not mere words that he offered her. It was something. Never before had a man offered her something so great. This place was an extension of her mate. It took a moment to truly register all he offered, simply because he had done something she had not experienced in all those centuries of life. How he seemed to watch her with a closeness that no other dared try, as if trying to read even the slightest of cues upon her gorgeous porcelain face fully aware of the she-devil and all she was capable of. All of this.... For them. How such strange emotions began to churn within her volatile, deadly sea. There was only one word that slipped from her lips.

Extraordinary, in French. It was a word she rarely ever used and yet he had been by her side long enough to pick up on at least a handful of those French words and phrases. How unaware Risque was of the brief assault of inner doubt that he possessed in those moments of waiting. How much her opinion of him and this seemed to matter.

Her praise was enough to cause her mate to sit a little taller within the saddle, her pale diamond, endless depths of her eyes sliding to the mismatched irises of his. He honoured her with this offering he willingly gave. Her mate defied the odds, defied all other men on his own. How she felt the need to nearly jump him.. Here... now. Nature be damned. How she wished to feel him, to revel in this moment. He spoke again.. Declaring that she deserved it. Every bit of it. That he would get it for her, would do it all in her name. A promise that this was just the start.

Never had she desired a man more thoroughly than she did now.

How she was never one to believe the word of men. A lesson she had learned far too young in life. But Darcy, her mate seemed to utter those words like a vow that held no room for doubt. He would do as he said, even surrounded by a world full of people with meaningless declarations. That was what separated them from the weak. How those words seemed to ignite something within her. It was then that she spoke after relishing in that moment. The mismatched eyes of her cowboy were intense as he waited for her every word like it was the only one that ever mattered. It was no surprise they held that suggestive salacious undertone that spoke of her own desire, the very intimate tone of her voice like a rich velvet caress against naked flesh. How she could see that tension grow within him, see the way she led his mind down a wayward path that led to her. He had always been reactive to her every word and every whim. How she was certain she would only need to say the word to unleash him... to forget the very reason that they were here. But she inquired of his abilities as a cowboy. Such a reason was purely selfish even if she did not allude to it.

He claimed he could do it, she was quite certain that it could be translated... to anything she desired he would fulfil. Every need, every want. Yet this... was somehow far more simple than all he had just offered and vowed. This was a deeply concealed interest she possessed hidden behind the guise of... wanting to see his 'credentials'. How it hardly held the true seriousness of a true test. Beyond her desire to see her mate's prowess on a horse, there was no need to. Hmm. What did she want to see? That question seemed almost as much as his own curiosity as it was to express her own.

"...I want to see... you use the rope, the lasso. Where you hunt down the cow with it and then bind it with knots." Such a sport would be amusing with humans, even if they didn't stand a chance. There was more.. of course. She had covertly seen enough of his westerns to find out that perhaps those cowboy mannerisms seemed to speak to her. Yet, she surprised herself to find there was a list, perhaps she should keep it simple for now, lest she betray just how much she noticed. "And that.... version of dressage that cowboys do, but faster. Do... you know it?" Risque inquired, betraying her own interest with that gleam within her pale hypnotic eyes. Although she supposed these things would have to wait, perhaps even another evening. After all, he hardly seemed finished with his tour, confirming they had a bit more to see.

On horseback, the pair descended down from the ridge and into the forest along a path that had connected to where they were. The horse's muscular bodies braced to deal with the decline, her body leaning back in that motion naturally. The moon peeked through the tall trees, the silver of it casting otherworldly shadows upon the forest floor. The pathway wasn't quite narrow and yet it was clearly designed for this purpose. She could hear the sounds of the forest, all around. The snapping of dried twigs in the distance, the howl of predators sharing in their delight of ripping into who knew what. Yes.. feral beauty did describe this place to perfection. Even if all seemed kept at bay by their presence. As if those who dwelled in the forest knew who entered those depths. The true apex predators in their midst. Risque's body seemed to shift with Denim's movements as the pair continued forward, that decline began to even out as those preternatural eyes seemed to slice through the still darkness with ease. But this place, how it reminded her vaguely of the forest they met within, with far less blood.

Her tongue subconsciously slid across her lower lip as if she could taste her environment, aware of all that went on around them. The horses continued to move with purpose until the trees began to thin until they met the edge of that forest where she quickly could discern a fence line. The closer they got, the more those forms came into view, the moonlight outlining their long backs. Horses. It was easy to differentiate the silhouette from cattle to those fairer beasts. There was a large herd of them upon first glance, all of differing shades and markings, some with foals huddling close to their dam's side.

Denim seemed content to perk up at that, hardly fidgety beneath her even if part of him seemed eager to join them but knew better than to put even a hoof out of line. Risque both heard and felt the rumble of a nicker to some of the mares in that field. Some returned that sound of greeting along with a few that raised their heads up, ears alert and facing toward them.

The sight was picturesque, especially with the natural backdrop that could fit any nature photographer's dream. Darcy's mismatched eyes slid toward her, his lips parted as she listened to his accented voice as he spoke once more. Although she hadn't anticipated another slight, another jab. Only it had nothing to do with France and everything to do with her.... That this was not her thing. Why he sought to continuously bring light to that she had no idea. Why point it out when she was here? When she was willing to offer her complete attention within his own interests. Her gaze narrowed, growing sharper only barely perceptible to the naked eye. Fortunately, he continued to speak of those horses, seemingly, unaware of it.

Darcy content to claim that horses earned a lot, a supplemental income within the ever-fluctuating pricing of the beef market. Like a true businessman, he seemed to take into account the market. To only focus on one thing was the ruin of most businesses to be at the mercy of fluctuating trends. It was a smart business move to search for other avenues of cash flow when just cattle would hardly cut it. She dipped her head in an approving nod, slowly seeing his vision come together.

The cost of a good horse, even in this modern era was still valued. Worth its weight in gold. Especially if they were procuring millions for a single animal! Now that was news that made her forget all about his previous blunder. Her cowboy claimed that he had bred some black horses, knowing she had an affinity with the shade. Those darker horses certainly were striking. She would admit.

Perhaps her tastes rubbed off on her lover more than she realized. Her well-manicured nail trapped upon that horn then before tracing the stitching of the saddle she sat within. The leather was good, maintained, supple, even soft... even despite its durability. "You know me... well. Black is my colour. Which are the ones you named after me?" Of course she had to inquire after that, her ego would not allow it to simply slide.

Risque waited for his reply, more than interested in which horses and their names. She attempted to look at that herd, one animal after the other. How did he even tell them all apart when those horses looked identical, considering they were all the same breed? Although, perhaps many would question the same thing with her felines. Even when no two tiger's stripes were exactly the same. She tugged Denim's reins, just as Darcy had shown her as she rode along the fence's border as if to examine the herd as if to pick out somehow which one was superior and yet she hadn't even the faintest clue. She found her eyes were drawn to the darkest equine in that herd, the one with an equally dark foal glued to her side. Her dark manicured brows pinched in a frown. Horses. She never did have quite the eye for them, except for the well-muscled, sleek, fast ones.

"Dar, tell me which one is superior. I have made my guess but I need to know for certain." Count on Risque to seek out the best and most expensive.