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"The patents are pending, but we expect they will be pushed through by the end of the month." Jeremy tapped a finger on the pages that were spread out on the desk. "We need to work out the bugs on the latest suits, they're not going as planned, not with the behavioral modification factors that have been added. We should probably remove them."

"I know, I'm sure you have it all well in hand." Douglas drawled in response, the young man rocking back in his chair while the light green eyes remained fixed on his associate in boredom. "There's hardly a chance that it is that bad, simply push ahead to the release and we will make plans on applying warning labels for continued use."

Jeremy fought the urge to yell, there was no keen intelligence there waiting to make his move, just an obvious wish that he was somewhere else. It wasn't the first time he'd come to his partner with concerns, it wasn't the first time he had been dismissed. Douglas and Jeremy had left college together with large plans. Nanotechnology had just been hitting the streets and he had wanted to be a part of things right at the start. He was good with technology, he was good with programing and developing software, and he had an idea on taking it in a whole new direction. Douglas didn't know anything about it, he could talk the talk decently, but he didn't grasp the delicate concepts needed to understand the small robotics needed and the process that was required to allow for actual transformations to occur. He was the one that ran the business side of things, got the right things filed, advertised and found backers, and he was the one with the money.

And now, just a few weeks until they would go public, and Douglas was watching him with boredom in his eyes. There was the barest chance that they would be able to market both versions of their new nanosuits and that meant they would lose several backers at the very least. The first suit was simple, it was just one that wrapped around a person and allowed them to take on the shape of an animal or person, it wasn't so terribly hard to program, just the fact that the suits had been made to allow for sensations to pass from the 'hide' to the wearer. The second set of suits were more delicately made, mostly because they were required to be far more in depth. And they were the ones that were causing such problems, but they would also be the real money makers.

"Damnit Doug! Do you want us to just be announcing a new costume?!" Jeremy snapped the words angrily. "We need the second suit ready."

"Do away with the behavior modifications then, I don't need them to be there." The young man pushed back from the table with a scrape of wood on wood.

"Yes we do." Jeremy got the words out around gritted teeth. "Do you know how important they are? They are the basis of the entire program. The size change, the sensory changes, everything they are makes these suits workable."

"Then we will release them another time." Doug picked up his coat with a lazy smile. "You can hardly ask for better than that. We will have a prototype on display and explain we're only taking preorders at the moment."

"But..." Jeremy started, but the young man cut him off with a shake of his head before stepping around the desk.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Now, I have things to do tonight, I'm sure you understand, just leave a note on my desk for me for tomorrow." Doug gave a flick of his fingers as he reached the door. "Just relax, alright?"

"Are you heading home then? Jen'll be happy that you're having an early day." Jeremy put forced cheer into his voice as he watched his friend step out into the main office. The only response he got was a sly smile and a wink before Doug darted out of the room leaving Jeremy drawing in a long calming breath.

He knew where Doug was going, it was Thursday night and he knew exactly what was going to happen. He'd go down to Skully's for their gay night so he could troll for partners, he'd likely get so drunk that he could barely put together two sentences and then he'd drag some young impressionable boy to the office to fuck. He wouldn't go home until dawn, if then, and he wouldn't be in tomorrow. It was the pattern of every Thursday night for him, something that made Jeremy want to slam his fist in a wall. Douglas was married, his wife Jen was the sweetest girl he had ever met, and he neglected her at every turn. They'd gotten married two years ago, something that had shocked the programmer, but he'd always thought that there had to be love there. Now, he could see that it was all one sided. Jen adored Doug, they had grown up friends and she had always had a crush on him, when he had turned her head with a few smiles and dates, she had been smitten.

Now, she sat at home, tending the house and working idly on her passion for horses, while waiting for her husband to show her even an ounce of affection. He should have cherished her, but he was too busy enjoying liquor and his deviant behaviors. He didn't care about anything except his wealth, and even that he didn't manage well. Jeremy had been forced to try and keep their plan afloat as time and again Doug dropped the ball. There was always an excuse, he was dealing with other issues, he was working on pubilicity, he was working on more sponsors or selling stock. It was never the real reason as to why he was nearly destroying their business before it was ever really off the ground.

This needs to stop, I can't do this anymore.... Jeremy unclenched his fists and straightened his back before stepping out of the office.

He would never admit it to them, but he loved Jen. He adored her. She was so sweet, attractive, and intelligent. She was being wasted on him, slowly withering away as she filled her days with her horses and training them. They were magnificent beasts, he'd even been there for hours working on some of the precursors for the latest suits, but she needed more in her life. She needed a husband to love her, she needed someone that cared about their future and fortune, she needed someone deserving. Jeremy crossed into his office while he let out a short sigh as he stared at the racks of suits that he was currently trying to get operational, his eyes fell on one of the suits that was tentatively finished. A flea bitten grey warm blood that Jen had helped him design and he reached out to touch it.

It had taken a few weeks to develop, with Jen helping him get measurements and even allowing him to ride the stallion, though he wasn't an avid horsemen like her or Douglas. It had taken longer than it should have, but he had enjoyed her company too much to want it to end. He had taken extra time with this suit, it was supposed to be one of their roll outs that would show not only a sensation and mental change, but could be changed as it went on. One could be a fully morphic looking horse complete with hands, or entirely a four legged horse if things called for it. It was nearly set, though, there were things that still needed worked out, but he hoped it would be done soon. He'd even been entertaining the thought of making another visit to Jen, though not entirely for scientific reasons.

Jen deserved so much more, this company deserved so much more. It was impossible to imagine that the next few days could change the world, but it was true. It would change everything, from the entertainment industry to the government as the suits were perfected. And Douglas was out at some bar, swinging back as many as he could possibly get down him to fumble around in some low hotel with a choice bit of a toy. It wasn't to be borne! A shiver of rage went through him as his fingers flexed against the supple latex, his breathing coming faster as a thought slipped through his mind before he could stop it.

_I could make a suit, one that applied the newer technologies. I need Douglas, but the world doesn't need him exactly... _ He barely finished the thought as a shiver ran down his back. Could it truly be done?

.

~ ~ * ~ ~

The laughter in the bar was loud enough that it even penetrated the music while Doug leaned forward towards the likely looking lad across the table. This one was almost pixie like, with large eyes and long hair that tumbled along his cheeks giving him a wild look. He was dressed in a tight set of pants and nothing more than a white vest so that the hairless chest was plainly visible. He was legal, certainly, of that Doug was sure, but barely so and that made it all the more delicious. He loved when they were just a touch younger and would be overawed by his wealth and power. With a smile he pushed the drink towards the lad and watched as a slick pink tongue flicked out over so red lips. Deliciously decadent, eventually those lips would be wet with something far more arousing.

"You're married?" The young man tilted his head slightly and glanced down to where the businessman rested his hands on the table.

He had left his wedding ring on, in a bar such as this, it was quite the norm for married men to come here for a bit of relaxation and company. If one didn't want to help a spouse cheat on their wife, they simply passed on by. He didn't even make a movement to hide it, instead he gave a slow smile and nodded his head up and down in response. There was no need to go into the details of his marriage, much less have to answer to many questions. Most of the men here were cheating, quite obviously cheating at that, but not him. Jen knew about him, though she hadn't wanted it to be made publicly known, but he had told her when they were still in high school that he was gay. She accepted him, whole heartedly, though her affection and love were not feigned, she knew as well as he did that it would never truly be consummated.

When he'd proposed to her, he had done so honestly. He was wealthy and had an image to maintain, a wife would ensure that no one looked too hard at the rest of his social life. He would provide her ample money to pursue her own interests in exchange for lending him her good name to ensure that he would be successful. She had no cause to regret it, though he mourned that she still was half in love with him, he could only continue as her friend. Eventually, he hoped, she would accept their open marriage and cast about for someone to freely give her affections. He had even tried to subtly encourage his partner, Jeremy's, obsession with her in the hopes they would have a bit of an affair. And if they truly were in love, he was more than happy to hand her over to someone for a true relationship.

I've been married, that's all I needed, if she finds a proper husband, I wish them well. _ He thought idly while trailing a hand over to brush his fingers along the tips of the lads fingers. _Perhaps once I am established I could be so lucky.

"So, are you going to be coy, or will you give me your name?" Douglas tilted his head to one side inquiringly, allowing a smile to cross his features.

"Jer..Jerome." The boy managed to get the words out with a hot flesh of Doug trailed his fingers higher up along the hand.

"Jerome..." He rolled the name on his tongue with a slight hint of a purr to the edge of his voice. "A lovely name. I'm Douglas."

They were so lovely feeling, soft, warm, surely the long fingers would prove entirely deft in the bed later on. The drink that had started to flow through him made him relax from the days worries and simply basked in the way that the boy across from him shifted in the seat, almost squirming in place under the intense regard. Before the end of the night he'd be squirming for another reason entirely, oh Doug would see to that.

.

~ ~ * ~ ~

"Come on! Up you get!" A barked set of words jarred Douglas out of dreamless sleep and suddenly a hand slapped his ass making him squeal out in shock.

His body didn't move right as he lurched upwards, his legs scrabbled strangely before he places his numb hands down on solid earth and tried to heave himself upwards again. His body felt strange and heavy as he managed to get onto all fours, his arms splayed out to either side while he lifted a head that felt strangely heavy on his neck. He lifted it higher up and snorted hotly while his dazed mind woke up in patches and kept his eyes closed. His head was pounding heavily, it was a stabbing pain that was worse than any hangover that he'd ever had in his life. Had he really drank so much the night before?

It was easy to remember the start of the night, he had been drinking with Jerome and attempting to seduce him. It had worked, but the boy had been coy, he'd slipped away from any attempts to kiss him or the teasing gropes. It hadn't been in a way that made him think they were unwanted, but with whispered promises of more lately. The long evening had continued on as he had had drinks pressed on him, the laughter had become more free as they moved on the dance floor together. It had been exciting and thrilling, stalking the boy and attempting to corner him, half indulging in the idea of pinning him down in the restroom.

Eventually, though, Jerome had laughingly drawn him out of the club with promises of a quiet apartment where they could indulge in one another. Douglas has eagerly gotten into the car, he remembered that part. He remembered that the boy had helped him, the hands had lowered him, but then things became blurred and fuzzy. He couldn't recall going to the apartment, or anything more, had they actually managed to have sex or had he passed out? That seemed likely, he certainly would have remembered a sweet boy like that nude, even if he was drunk.

Gods I made a right ass of myself... He lifted his heavy head and cracked open an eye before shutting it again as a shaft of sunlight hit him. He needed to apologize for how he behaved.

"Hurrr-hurr-hurr....snort!" The sounds that spilled out of him didn't sound like him, his lips couldn't make the words work.

Douglas jerked his head up in shock and snapped his eyes open to see what was wrong, only to find himself looking down over the long grey muzzle. His nostrils flared open wide as he stared at the snout in shock before stumbling backwards, his legs giving out so he dropped down onto his ass. He splayed his legs and felt a stab of pain before he jumped upwards with a short yelp as something stabbed against his haunches. What was going on? He shifted up and twisted his head so he could look down at himself, feeling a stab of cold fear as he looked at his normal chest, but it was grey and his arms weren't right. They ended in hooves. HOOVES!

"Come on now, get up.." A hand slapped his ass and made him scramble up onto all fours again, his hooves thudding on the ground.

Douglas let out an angry squeal, not even a shout, but an equine sound as he swung around angrily and came face to face.... with himself. The human standing in stall was him, the same tousled hair, the same severe brown eyes, holding himself proudly with one hand holding a riding quart that tapped against the cream colored riding pants. There was even the slight cleft in his chin that he had always had, barely noticeable but there. He stumbled backwards, moving until he crashed back against a wall, nearly losing his footing all over again as he desperately tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

He had been drunk, he'd gotten into a car, was this all some horribly weird dream that he was being forced to endure? Was it possible that he was still passed out in the lads apartment. The strange double looked him over, the head tilted to one side as if studying him like a horse he was about to by. It was unnerving, and humiliating. Douglas bared his teeth angrily and tried to stand up properly. He lifted his arms up, they at least bent the way they should have, but as he tried to stand up his legs refused to behave the way he was used to them. His ankle felt too high, like he was standing on the tips of his toes. He couldn't maintain himself on two legs for long and was forced to drop back down again.

"Oh stop that, foolish thing." The faux-Douglas stepped forward with a smile on his face and reached out so the fingers brushed his muzzle. "You know, I told you that we still had work to do on these suits, but you told me I had it well in hand. I suppose that you were right. I just needed a bit of motivation."

_The suits?! _ Douglas flattened his ears on his head with an angry snort, twisting his head about to look at himself. His body was still human like, but it wasn't completely human, his hips were longer and horse like, broader while his chest looked human stall.

This wasn't a suit, was it? He flexed his muscles and watched as they rippled along his sides, twitching slightly while a tail twitched behind him. It all felt real, he could feel the air on him, brushing along the length of his mane and stirring it. He twitched his tail faster behind him while he attempted to feel the warmth of a suit around him, concentrated on what he knew his body to be.

"I'm afraid this suit still isn't ready to be taken out." The faux-Douglas took out a light grey remote to hold on the palm of his hand. "It's got a few flaws, but for our purposes it will be fine, just as my own will be. I need your money too badly to want to risk having the business tank, Douglas, and obviously you cared nothing at all. I knew that last night when you left."

_Jeremy?! _ Douglas snapped his head up and bared his teeth angrily at the imposter, almost able to let out a growl of rage with the new knowledge.

"I think I'll keep my old life for a little longer, until I quit and leave. Quite publicly, but there it is. I can't simply live two lives." Jeremy reached out again to cup a hand under Douglas' chin firmly. "But don't worry, I will take good care of your life, your business.... Your wife."

The last words were spoken a bit hoarsely and that brought Douglas' ears back up again while the imposter slid a halter from his arm and dropped it down into his hand. Jen?! Jeremy had always admired Jen, it wasn't even remotely hidden, but this.. This was absolutely beyond anything that he had imagined his partner doing. The man could have been welcome in his wife's bed at any time if he had only let his intentions be known! Jen knew that, and he had even encouraged her several times to look into hinting at it, but she had been so shy. This was outrageous, he wasn't going to end up like a horse because his partner wanted to take over his life. As the man reached up to try and slip the halter on him Douglas let out an angry squeal and rushed forward.

He wasn't stupid, he had known horses all his life, though he was not as passionate as his wife in riding them, but they were stronger than a man! He wouldn't tolerate this! He tried to leap away from the outstretched hand and charged towards the door before his chest crashed against it and he awkwardly tried to life his changed hands up to hook over the edges. He had to get out of here, Jen knew about the nanosuit technology and she would be able to let him out of this and reveal the betrayal of his business partner in no time! He scrabbled roughly and reared up, hooking a leg over the stall door and shoving his weight against it to try and knock it open.

The ruckus began to stir the other denizens of the stable, the snorting and whickers of confusion greeted him as he felt the door starting to bow outwards as he got his other leg up and over it in a precarious position. He reached up with one of his transformed hands and started to paw roughly at the stable latch, clattering against the metal to try and knock it off place while he swayed back and forth. Jeremy made no move to pull him away, instead the man had stumbled back a few paces as if impressed by the fact that Douglas was now truly stronger. He wasn't as large as a horse, no, but he was still heavier and able to do damage if he wanted. He felt a moment of sheer victory at knowing his superior position.

As he snorted angrily he suddenly felt the suit for the first time, as just that, a suit. It was a dull feeling as something clutched around him and pulled, squeezing him in a way that made him feel as if things were crawling all over him. He knew the design of the suit was to use near invisible robotics to slip past the barriers of his skin and attach to his nerves. He knew the theory of it all, though he had never intended to use it himself, and now he felt them shifting and watched as his arm started to change. It started with the sensations as the position of his elbow seemed all wrong, his wrist felt wrong as well. It still looked the same, but it didn't feel as if they were in the same place.

His hoof was forced to drop down as the place where his elbows had been began to change and the shape grew odder. He had to force his forelegs into a more aligned position instead of stretching them at such an impossible angle. Douglas let out an angry squeal, but backed up, his hind legs aching as he struggled to get off the door while his forelegs began to form. The part just above the hooves stopped being his wrist and became something that was more limiting then a human wrist. He tried to pull his legs over, but his elbows felt higher up and he couldn't quite move them high enough on his own. The wood of the stall door pinched painfully and bruised as he struggled not to get the latch open, but to get off before he did himself serious harm.

"Easy now, easy..." A voice drawled out lazily and he snorted out, his ears going back flat against his head as he twisted around to see Jeremy walking up to him again with the halter. "I see we have our work cut out for us, but you'll be pleased to know that one can learn quite a lot when one has enough time."

_Work?! I'll stomp him! _ Douglas twisted again, but this time he couldn't do more then snap his teeth as his forelock was caught and his head was lowered down.

The leather of the halter was a bitter thing, rubbing along his sensitive cheeks and nose as it was buckled into place with cold metal. He gave his head a rough shake back and forth to try and toss it off, but it remained in place just as it had always been designed to do. Instead, he was forced to endure it, as well as Jeremy's help as the other man reached down to grasp on of his forelegs and pulled it up to bend up tight against his upper leg. It wasn't pleasant, it actually hurt as his leg was pulled back over onto the right side of the stall door. He couldn't even kick the imposter as the man walked around him to attend to the other leg. He couldn't free himself, and if he broke a leg, a shiver ran over him in instinctual fear at the very idea of being so lame and helpless.

"There now, I think we have you well in hand, don't we?" The man took ahold of the halter firmly. "How nice of this to come together, imagine Jen's surprise when she returns to find you as a present for her to make amends for all of the neglect you show her."

_Neglect?! She knows our deal! _ He angrily tried to snap Jeremy again, but he was rewarded with a yank of the halter before a lead was pulled off the stall wall.

He saw the chain lead shank and jerked away, but the hold was firm as Jeremy reached up and wound the glittering silver chain through the halter. For one blessed moment he thought that it would go beneath his chin, but it was worked over the sensitive bridge of his nose and out the other side so the metal pressed against him. It didn't hurt, but he knew that it COULD hurt and that was what mattered. He never used this on his horses, they were too well trained, but it was obvious that his partner had been doing his homework when it came to working with horses.

"Come now, we've got our first lesson, and I think you'll be impressed on how much I've learned." Jeremy gave a pull on the lead, pulling on the chain so Douglas jerked forward as soon as the door was open to relieve the painful pressure. "A high bred horse like yourself needs to be put into his place early on if he's to have any good come from him."

Douglas let out an angry noise, throwing his head up high in the air before stepping forward nervously, struggling against the lead, but each time he tried it was pulled down firmly. It was never hard enough to bruise him, but a short burst of pain that forced him to come to heel. His dreams of overpowering the thief and pounding him into the dirt with his hooves was lost in confused humiliation as his body was forced to follow along behind as docilely as any of his own horses.

As they walked out of the barn he was better able to grasp his body. He wasn't as tall as a horse, but his head stood up to just below Jeremy' shoulder roughly putting him at pony size. His chest still felt slender and not large enough, but he wasn't entirely positive since he couldn't turn his head to look around. There was one thing that had changed, and humiliation and pride warred with each other as he walked. He could feel his girth swinging beneath him, the heavy soft weight swayed back and forth just as his orbs bumped lightly along his inner hind legs. He didn't know if he was human there or not, but he certainly had to be larger given the way that the skin along his belly was pulled ever so slightly with each step.

The former man flattened his ears as heat rushed through him and he remembered his humiliation of looking over the suit. He'd been firm that the horse should be anatomically correct, and hadn't taken no for an answer, because he had always enjoyed watching the stallions. It was always lovely to see them cover a mare, and certainly they could be proud of their equipment. He would have never done anything with them personally, he had no desire for that, but he certainly entertained the idea of being able to put a lover in the suit and have him play the stud. He'd always been amazed by how much could fit in a stallion's sheath, the impossible length of it dropping was quite interesting to see first hand.

His ears flicked back to either side, so lost in his thoughts that he only came to when the gate swung open and he was guided through into the small riding ring that he had given to his wife. It wasn't full size, but a modest affair meant to allow for training and small jumps. He stepped into it with a twitch of his of his haunches, flaring his nostrils open wide before the door was shut behind him with a resounding clatter. Jeremy didn't seem to notice his nervousness, instead, the man reached up and unclipped the chain on his lead with a smile.

"I think we need to have one last conversation, Douglas." Jeremy slid the chain off the bridge of his nose. "I hope you remember it for at least a little while, but you are no longer needed. You're no longer Douglas. I'm going to name you Smoke, that is the only word you need to know in your life. You will be Smoke from today until you pass away. And..." The man pulled out the remote and teased it along his fingers lightly, almost seeming to contemplate it with some measure of amusement. "You don't need-"

The last words fell into a strange language that made Douglas lift his ears despite himself as the remote was shifted. He stomped a hoof and let out an angry squeal in a demand that Jeremy repeat himself in English. It wasn't Spanish or French, or German, he could speak the former two and knew the sound of the latter, but the only repeat he got was another spill of words that made absolutely no sense. He had had enough. He wasn't some pawn in this game, he had money, a family name, a business! His ears pinned flat back and he lunged forward, snapping his teeth at his former partner angrily as Jeremy dodged to one side laughing.

He barely got past the man before his haunches were SLAPPED roughly with the coiled up lead. He didn't know why, but he bolted at the feel of something hitting against his haunches and trotted around the ring before coming about. How dare this man slap him?! He was the CEO of Atlantis Industries, and he was a powerful man. He lunged forward again only to feel the crack of the coiled lead against his haunches so he kicked out and backwards. He didn't know why, but the feel of the rope touching him panicked him and he swung around angrily. He might not be the full size of a horse, but he was surely big enough to do some damage.

He shifted his weight to his haunches and reared back onto his hind legs so he could try to kick out with his forelegs at his tormentor. Jeremy didn't try to stop him, but dodged to one side nimbly enough before a crack against his haunches made him pin his ears and drop back down to all fours to escape it. It was wrong feeling, it sent such a wave of fear through him that he could barely think and a rush of energy rolled through him. He needed to get away, he needed to run! It coursed through him, it overtook his mind as the coiled rope slapped his vulnerable hind quarters again and he bolted forward to try and escape it.

He couldn't go far, not in the pen, but he could run in a circle with his ears pinned flat and trying to escape the man. Jeremy moved into the center of the ring whistling softly to himself and saying something in that damned stupid language again. It made no sense, it was just a series of words that fluttered out and made him shudder while he attempted to run away again. The moment the coiled rope hit his haunches again he kicked out angrily. Bucking and throwing his hind legs out while dropping his head down. What was his partner trying to do?! It made no sense, it only made him shudder and bolt forward again.

It became a pattern, he milled about in nervous circles, trying to keep away from Jeremy as the man approached him. When he tried to attack the rope was clapped against his haunches smartly, not enough to hurt, but enough to startle and panic him. He started to feel desperately alone and vulnerable. There was no where he could hide, nor protective group to keep him safe, he was exposed and it made his skin shiver as he bolted again in a nervous circle. His hooves kicked up dust beneath him as he felt it coating his legs and along his underside and chest. He threw his head up high and rolled his eyes as Jeremy moved forward briefly and Douglas reared back again before running. He was being tormented.

Slowly, the rope didn't slap him so often, it didn't strike out, but he was allowed to burn of his nervous energy. He felt too exposed still, his haunches vulnerable as the man watched him trot in a circle. He heard horses other places, their soft whickers and whinnies that made him want to run back to the barn and join them. It was an intense yearning that he had never experienced as the man continued to watch him and finally started to back down.

The man had been standing in the middle of the ring, but he moved away leaving Douglas trembling and prancing back and forth nervously. His tail lashed against his haunches as the man turned away from him and started to look towards the barn where the horses were. The stallion tossed his head high, nervously watching as he went back and forth, startling at the smallest movement to bolt backwards. His haunches still imagined the feel of the coiled rope. Eventually, with his sides streaked with dirt he came to a stop and blew out a hot breath, nostrils cupping the air wide as he watched the man's back.

He couldn't see the eyes watching him, the profile wasn't that of a predator and he shivered his skin. The stallion snorted the air, snuffling slightly and pinning his ears back before giving a short shake of his head and dropping his nose back down towards the ground. He pawed the ground roughly, scraping against the dust and kicking it back before taking a step forward. He didn't like being alone, he didn't like the fact that he was exposed. He should have felt other bodies crowded against him, the reassuring scents that should have made him relax, but he was missing all of it. Instead he was left snorting the air roughly and lifting his head up in the sky testingly.

The human smelled a bit like sweat, a bit like something he couldn't identify, but he also smelled like horses. Not horse-fear, but simply familiar horse scents that soothed the stallion as he took a slow step forward. He kept his ears twitched back as he nervously stepped forward, ready to jerk back the moment the human moved towards him. He wanted reassurance, he wanted to be not alone, but his instincts were screaming to him that this was no horse. The stallion twitched his lips slightly, working them and chewing the air thoughtfully before slowly lifting his head up and taking a step forward. His hooves clicked lightly on the ground as he advanced closer and closer, tasting the air.

With the greatest of care he stretched his neck out, snorting a little as his lips brushed one of the human's arms and brought the scents to his nose. His soft lips brushed the loose shirt before lifting higher and blasting out a hot breath. The scents were stronger here and almost reassuring. But then the stranger moved forward and the stallion jerked back with an angry noise, lifting up his legs and trotting around the circle again with his eyes focused on the human.

"Shh.. shh..." The soft noises meant nothing to him, just meaningless words that spilled past the human's lips, but the rope didn't hit his haunches and eventually the stallion slowed again.

The man remained facing away as he advanced again, slowly snuffling, he wanted company, but his instincts were in overdrive. Instincts, his instincts were working against him. Douglas pulled himself out of his daze and jerked backwards with a shrill whistling squeal of rage. He didn't have horse instincts, he was a man. He stomped a hoof and lifted his head disdainfully to glare at the man who was standing in front of him. His partner. He felt like he was waking from a day dream, but one that had overrode his normal thoughts and pushed something else over them in the actions.

_What was I thinking?! _Douglas shuddered his skin as he blew out a hot angry scent towards the man in the center of the ring.

Jeremy laughed, he actually laughed! The gall the man had to laugh, but then the rope came down against his haunches again and Douglas leapt forward. He knew what was going on now, and knowing didn't bring him any comfort. He was getting worked up, or rather the suit was, the nanotechnology was supposed to allow a person to have a full range of experiences and instincts. They were supposed to be lesser ones, such as how to walk and trot and run, how to move the ears and body, things that would make a transformed man have a hell of a time figuring out without that base knowledge, but not like this.

Because he was acting like a horse. The touch of the rope panicked him, he wanted a herd, it was making him kick back angrily at an invisible predator, but now he knew that he was being tricked and he wouldn't fall for it. He was a human man and just because he had fallen for it once, didn't mean that he would again. With an angry snort towards his tormentor he picked up his hooves and moved away, trying to stop the bolt forward as the rope came down again. He was a man, he was better than this, he wouldn't fall so easily, or so far, as to behave like a common animal. All these thigns he held true, and refused to allow himself to give into whatever his tormentor wanted from him.

_ I am human. I am the owner of Atlantis Industries. I am a human man.._ He repeated the words in his own head as the entire production repeated itself.

It was so damned hard to ignore those instincts though, the nanotechnology worked at a base level that he was struggling again as the rope snapped his haunches and made him take off. He could almost imagine the swipe of powerful claws, the snap of fangs gripping into his vulnerable muscles. It was impossible to forget just how vulnerable he was in this position, and just what would happen to him if he remained still. In the end, he tried to simply trot in a circle, to just keep moving despite the lathering of sweat that worked up along his sides and the feel of his trembling exhausted muscles. Oh he was so tired, so damned tired of running around. He lifted his hooves and did the mindless circle as he was watched.

Eventually, he had to stop, he wanted to stop and his mouth was so terribly dry. He came to a halt trembling slightly, his ears back and his sides quivering as the man turned around again and the eyes were no longer fixed on him. One of the hands reached out with the palm down, not far, but enough that it was stretched towards him. It was a tentative gesture that made the exhausted stallion step forward, his head dangling low as he blew out hot breaths and could feel just how his muscles were aching from the workout that he'd put them through. He carefully stretched his nose out, brushing against the hand to drew in the warmth of the scent as the fingers rested along the soft vulnerable spot.

He was so terribly tired, he just wanted to relax, to drink water and eat something to sooth his aching belly. He kept his nose there, but the human stepped forward, the hand moved away and the stallion automatically stepped forward to follow it. The exhaustion made his hooves feel so heavy, but it was easy to follow, the body before him moved away and he followed. It felt so incredibly right to move behind him, walking step by step as he was led about in a slow circle. His head bobbed up and down slightly, but he always tried to keep his muzzle close to the smaller body in front of him.

Gloriously, he heard a soft pssh pssh noise, a sound that came from the human's throat in a reassuring tone as he followed the man around the circle at a slow walk. The hand brushed his muzzle gently, spreading the fingers open and stroking upwards, rubbing so gently that the stallion closed his eyes. He gave himself over to that gentle touch as his human stopped and started to speak to him in a quiet reassuring voice. It was the softest tone, but it was like music to Smoke's ears as he was gently stroked and he could lean his head against the human and draw in the scent. He had another body near him, he wasn't alone, he wasn't exposed, he was close to someone else and that need was overwhelmingly satisfied by the gentle strokes.

"Sssh sssh Smoke..." The voice murmured, and gloriously, a hand was lifted up with something sweet tasting that was pressed against his lips, something heavenly that he used his thick soft lips to pull up into his mouth and chew. When was the last time that he'd eaten?

. .

~ ~ * ~ ~

It was afternoon when Douglas was recalled to himself, and that was only because Jeremy left and he was given water and a stack of hay to munch on. When he was alone, he tried to remember what was wrong as he chewed the hay and felt the dry stalks in the corners of his mouth. And slowly, like taffy sticking to his mind, he dragged himself from what he had been thinking. It hadn't been as if he had been squashed beneath another personality, but as if his own had settled itself comfortably in the body of a horse. And the hay seemed to weight heavy in his belly as he stopped eating and simply splayed his ears to either side in misery. He wasn't a horse damnit! He had never been a horse!

He was left alone with these thoughts, doing his best to recall himself to what he had always known, that he was a human man. It seemed so simple, but it was terrifying that he had slipped into the mindset of being a horse so easily. It was as if some part of his mind was ready and waiting to give into the instincts that should have been muted within the suit. That had been the idea, that the only instincts a person would be forced to feel would be the ones that allowed them to easily work within the suit. He could remember suggesting that memories be implanted within the suits, a bit like role playing, but at a new extreme where one could become entirely different.

_Damnit, what did Jeremy say about that? _ Douglas paced in the stall, wracking his mind for what his partner had explained on why it wasn't possible.

He wasn't going to fool himself, he knew quite well that his mind wasn't always entirely on the business, he had other things to think about. He left the high tech things to his associate, not to himself, and now he was left struggling to recall what had gone wrong with the idea. He was still mulling over the problem and trying to find memories of that meeting when a handler came for him, but not Jeremy. To his shock, the person that approached him was vaguely familiar. He threw his head up nervously and pranced backwards as a tall young man opened up the gate with a bucket in one hand and a groom tray in the other.

The face was familiar, there was a rather roman nose on him that ruined the whole effect of femininity, but it gave him true character. Luke, his name was Luke. He recalled the boy quite well, he had once had him as a hired hand about two years back and had enjoyed a rather long and enjoyable affair together. It had been as close to a real relationship as he had ever come, but he had been forced to cut it off. The boy had been too demanding, he had wanted to restrict their relationship too far and Douglas hadn't been ready to settle down at all. He'd dismissed the groom easily enough, neatly avoiding a public scene, and hadn't seen him since. He had assumed the estranged lover had simply gone on to another stable entirely, but here he was.

_What the hell is he doing here?! _ Douglas pulled his ears back flat as the familiar face turned towards him with a smile. A sinful little smile that sent a shiver along the former man's back.

Was this some sort of torment that was being heaped upon him from his former partner?! That he had hired back his lover. Douglas flattened his ears firmly back against his head and let out an angry snort while the young man stepped up to him and dropped the sloshing bucket down beside his hooves and the grooming kit next to it. The water looked cool and inviting, and just seeing that there was a sponge made Douglas twitch at the feel of itchy spots that worked against his hide. The dust had dried with the sweat after Jeremy had left, and he hadn't been able to do more than suffer unless he wanted to lower himself into rolling in the dust.

Luke gave him another pat before the thick large sponge was soaked into the water and dropped right along the line of his spine making him snort and startle forward. The lack of a lead could have let him bolt and escape, but as the trickling water coursed down his sides he could only let out a sigh of relief. It was humiliating, but at least he could get the worst of the dust off of him and be comfortable. Perhaps without it clinging to him he could come up with an idea for escape or making someone recognize that it was truly him.

The lad moved along his body with swift careful strokes of the sponge, working against his coat and getting the water to wash away the worst of the dust and sweat. He'd forgotten how capable Luke was, and the boy didn't waste any movement, he started at the center of Douglas' back and moved with swift efficient strokes downwards and along his sides. The pale grey of his coat started to darken as he twisted his head about to watch the entire progress, earning him a strange phrase spoken out of ex-lover's mouth. Not English, but strange and unrecognizable. And then he knew.

He stomped restlessly and moved away, purposefully unbalancing the groom and Luke said something again, likely telling him to stand still, but the words weren't words at all. They weren't English. He didn't hear them as English. It wasn't another language he was hearing, somehow the suit was taking off his ability to understand the spoken word. It made his skin quiver as he felt the sponge going down his legs one at a time and he barely noticed the feel. The gaping loss of language hit him so hard that he could barely hold onto the idea that he would never again know what was being said to him, or even about him, let alone speak. Unless he found a way out of the suit.

He turned his eyes back to Luke who moved around to his other side, the sponge soaked and lifted again to work against his legs where the dust was the worse. The boy could scarcely miss that his chest was still human like, that his body was still not large enough to be a horse. There was nothing in the suit that would cloud someones mind from what was real. He splayed his ears as Luke ran the sponge over his chest, a place where the suit seemed unfinished and the skin more sensitive so that it shivered in place. The boy knew, and he wasn't even acting like he didn't know any better, he was just going along with the act as if he were a dumb horse.

_Is he still so angry with me? _ Douglas pinned his ears and looked away, the hurt making all pleasure of getting clean start to fade as his hind legs were washed off.

If he had been paying the least bit of attention, he might have had time to brace himself when a hand suddenly cupped his groin. As it was, he felt the hold beneath the heavy swinging sheath and suddenly a wet cloth an hand shoved up against it making him startle away in outrage. He toppled over the bucket and knocked over the boy as he threw his head up before the fingers could do more than shove into the dark leathery cavern. He lashed his tail and snorted, pinning his ears back and stalked away from the boy. He wasn't going to tolerate this, and certainly not THAT!

Luke didn't seemed annoyed, he only grinned and said something pointed. Douglas knew the tone, knew that something insulting was being said about him, but he had no idea what. The heat filled his ears as he bared his teeth again while the boy tossed the sponge in the bucket and picked up the kit to approach him again. The former man swung his haunches away, only to have Luke reach up to catch the underside of his halter with a lead and give his head a firm pull so that he was turned about, swinging his head around and flatting his ears as he was walked out of the ring still smarting from whatever had been said. He couldn't even defend himself.

He had hoped he was being led back to his stall, but he was walked alongside the barn and tied up to a set of cross ties that were normally used for shoeing and more detailed grooming. The asphalt felt strangely slippery to his hooves, as if he couldn't' quite get as much purchase so he braced himself unhappily. He yanked against them, twisting his head to this side and that while Luke picked up a length of hose and turned it on so a splatter of water hit the ground at his hooves and swirled towards the drain that was set behind him.

The cold water hit his coat like a blast making Douglas throw his head up in shock while it sprayed against his chest and sides. It hit against him, running down along the line of his legs while his breathing came out in wet snorts. It was shockingly cool, but it wasn't bad when he felt the grit being spilled off him and onto the ground. With a sigh he relaxed and just lifted his head up high enough that he was sure he wouldn't get any of the water up his nose. At least he would be clean.

Luke didn't blast the water hard, but there was enough force that it was almost like a massage as it worked along his sore shoulders and legs, trailing down towards his hooves and even brushing up along his belly. His tail felt heavier and any attempt to slap it back and forth made it make wet noises against his haunches time and gain. Luke's voice was cheerful during the spray, no hint of insult, just a soothing backdrop as he was eventually soaked and the hose lowered the wash out the bucket that had been taken into the pen. It was soon refilled with a thick lather of soap that had Douglas twitch his ears up again.

This time, he knew what was going on when Luke dropped down and gave his haunches a friendly pat with a lathered up washcloth in one hand and the other going under him. Douglas angrily squealed and stomped a hoof, only to have the fingers catch against his sheath and grip more firmly than before. It didn't hurt, but there was just enough pressure that the former man stopped trying to yank away with the realization that the boy had a hold of a very sensitive part of his body and could really do damage if he truly wished it. It made him hold still, though he couldn't stop a twitch of humiliation as the soaped up rag was pushed into his sheath.

The hand spread open that leathery cavern while his belly muscles tightened instinctively and attempted to pull his shaft in deeper away from the cloth that washed the pouch. He had already seen himself earlier in the day, peering beneath his belly awkwardly to see the inky black sheath and the bulge of the glans that was hidden there. It had seemed quite large, the only part of this entire thing that pleased him, but now he got a real feel for how changed he was. The cloth pushed inwards lightly, soapy and slick feeling while the hand moved backwards as if following the retreat of the cock away from it.

The fingers spread out and suddenly caught him right behind the tip of his soft glans making Douglas shudder. His ears burned a hot horrified red as he felt the tug that pulled along the muscled spire, coaxing it and pulling it out while the soap smeared over him. This wasn't an attempt to get him aroused or horny, there was nothing seductive about the touch, he was being handled like any other stallion or gelding, cleaned like he couldn't clean himself. He had done it himself a dozen of times, but now he intimately felt the tug that popped his black cock into view and helped it lower downwards.

The boys hands were surprisingly soft for a groom, cupping just under the sensitive point of his glans while the cloth worked up along his revealing length. He remembered when those hands had done things far more personal, the way they had cupped his balls and the hot mouth that had wrapped around him. Luke had been such a glorious lover, hot and eager, and inventive. He could recall one day within the barn itself he had tied Luke over a saddle with a makeshift pair of hobbles and acted out the part of a stallion. There had been much laughter and joking, but also a heated amount of sex as he playfully bit his 'mare' behind the neck and thrust into 'her'.

A mare in heat... his mare.... The memory of Luke bent over shifted and changed into something far more erotic. A mare hobbled with her tail bound and held to one side so that the plush mound was visible to him.

His body tensed up and he felt the fingers rubbing up and working around him as the muscles began to tighten with the thought. A mare, hot and scenting like heat. Warmth flowed through the stallion at the thought, his lips quivering as if that scent would flood them with the movement. He sucked it in deep and hard, his upper lip curling upwards into the air while he lifted his head up higher in the air, straining while his cock began to stiffen under the handling. It flexed upwards, trying to slap against his belly, but the hold was firm while his mind was suddenly assaulted with such intense images that he couldn't shake them off.

It poured through him, white hot need, memories that he didn't possess of his legs splayed along a mares back while his haunches drove forward. Mares winking and tails raised. Mares eager and swollen with foals. It made the stallion let out a hot snort and lunge forward with his hips twitching. His cock flexed upwards, trying to slap again while the groom reached up to work around his base. Syrupy precum oozed out of the tip while he envisioned the powerful muscles of a mare wrapped around him. Smoke's breathing came out faster, puffing and flaring his nostrils over again while the soapy cloth worked back down along his length.

He twitched his legs forward, trying to thrust into the touch as the cloth rubbed right around his tip. The human said something and he heard footsteps, but he didn't care, he wanted his mare. The mare his mind was creating for him. He barely felt his skin itching and twitching, he only felt stronger as his heavy neck crested and his ears pricked up high forward. The muscles twitched again as he thrust forward, driving himself greedily along the fingers gripping him. Smoke shuddered and tried to bite at the air, his sides tensing up while suddenly two hands cupped around either side of his shaft and pumped lightly along the blunt tip of his cock.

Another human was nearby, but that didn't matter, his body was suddenly flushed with an intense need that had nothing to do with thinking and everything to do with the throbbing running through him. He snorted eagerly and crouched his haunches so that he could thrust forward in short hard movements. His twitching tail started to jerk up higher in the air, while the fingers clutched around the tip of his bulge glans. It swelled open wider, desperately trying to push deeper into a mare that only existed in his mind while the urethra jutted forward. His balls pulled up tight and he lunged forward blindly, feeling his head forced down as the tied halters were suddenly set too low.

The first hot rush of seed erupted from him as he trembled, his hind legs splayed, his entire body flushed with white hot desire for a mare. He held still as his tail twitched in time with the ropes that rapidly splattered against the soapy ground, oozing out around the grooms hands that gripped him. Smoke flicked his ears back and shivered a bit, his cock rapidly softening after the first hot gets while something thicker oozed out of his tip and over the fingers. Not that it mattered, the rush of relief he felt was immediate and he gave himself a shake all over while his cock was released to swing beneath him, softening and pulling upwards with the tip still flared.

A hand patted his cheek as the human that had approached came up to him again. It was the human that had been with him in the ring earlier. He flicked his ears up a little at the pat, but felt relaxed and content, his neck curved by the fact the leads were too low, but that didn't matter. He snorted a little against the hand that patted him while his overly sensitive glans was given a stroke with the wash cloth that made him kick a hind leg and then the bucket of water splashed beneath him and hit right at his sheath making him pin his ears angrily. He nearly bit the man beside him, but the leads stopped him as he snorted and lifted his head to glare at his former lover.

Oh god... Douglas trembled as he stared at the lad and pulled his ears flat back against his head.

A mare, he'd been thinking about a mare, and then he'd begun to get aroused. For the first time in his life he hadn't been thinking of a hot eager lad, but a mare. He had never thought about women that way! Not even when he'd tried his best to pretend he was straight, it just didn't work with him, but it had here. He had been hot and eager, pounding and dreaming of a mare pinned beneath his weight as he claimed her. It wasn't him! It was nothing like him! He twisted his head to stare at Jeremy, realizing too late that he was larger. He stood with his head well higher than the man's shoulder.

He wasn't pony sized any longer, the suit had changed him again. And when would they stop.

~ ~ * ~ ~

The days slid together slowly, but they remained essentially the same and Douglas began to realize their design. He was being worn away by bits and pieces. He was being forced to be pushed closer to the mind of a horse as he was worked and exercised, and not simply by being run around. He was lounged, something that he had never in his life experienced, but now was forced to run in circles with a whip urging him on. He was fed like a horse, groom liked a horse, and every day he struggled to keep in his mind who he was. At night it seemed so easy, but during the day they made it harder.

He had finally recalled the reason that the suits hadn't been ready to go out as they were supposed to be. They were designed to work on the instincts at only a basic level and that was it. The knowledge of how to work a body, how to make it behave properly, that was it, but they couldn't separate things that went beyond the basic. When it had been brought to him he had been approached as it changing people at a level that would actually turn them into beasts if they weren't careful. At the time, he had ignored it, because it had to be triggered. A person wearing the suit wouldn't have the mind of that animal just because he was walking down the street. There were triggers.

And he lived with those triggers. Exhaustion would bring it out in him, but also his own mind would betray him if he was given something that a horse enjoyed or feared. Being groomed or stroked, being praised with words he didn't understand, all of them worked against him as each day it became harder to spend the day as a human. The horse's body was becoming more natural to him, it was no longer so strange to wake up on all four hooves, but it was entirely humiliating to use his stall as a bathroom. He held onto the humiliations as something that would keep him well and truly from falling so far that he would be lost forever. He wanted them to remain a part of him in the hopes that he wouldn't fall too far.

Sometimes, the sheer depth of how the suit was managed made it harder to remember that he was human beneath it. He could do everything like a horse and feel it. The third day he had been shod, the ferriar barely commenting on the fact that he wasn't quite a normal horse, his chest was still strangely human like and he knew it. Instead, he had had his hooves all trimmed and shortened, the cracks filed away as he was handled by the large man. He hadn't even been able to struggle for fear of the sharp knife, though he had almost wished he could dare it in the hopes that it would cut him out of the hell that was the suit. In the end, he found the suit real enough that he had been shod. The heavy hooves still felt strange on his hooves, making that day a long afternoon of trying to get used to stepping on them and walking about without falling.

Douglas was so used to the days of training that he barely stirred, though, when Luke came to fetch him with the damned chain lead. He didn't fight it, he already felt a bit bruised from the lead holding him before and this time he turned towards the ring where he would be worked. Except, the boy gave a light tug that swung his head around and he was forced to step away from the ring and towards the opposite side of the barn. It was so disorienting to him that he tried to turn around again, some dumb instinct making him want to follow the pattern of his normal day, but he was again forced to turn around.

He was led down the aisles of horses, and saw for the first time the faces that he had heard. He drew in a deep breath of the mares and geldings, puffing it out again reassuringly and relaxed as he was led to the front of the barn to where the other human stood. He knew this human, he was the Master, he was the one that always had a treat for when he was good. Smoke pricked his ears up in anticipation and almost watered at the mouth when he saw a hand go towards the pocket. He knew that he'd be rewarded for coming along quietly.

No.. damnit.. Douglas tried to still his mind, tried to keep it working on a higher plain than the part of him that accepted his lot.

He mulishly set his ears back as the man pulled his hand out and didn't produce a soft mint. Instead, the man palmed the hated grey remote and gave a slow smile towards Douglas and said something. He glared at Jeremy, hating him, hating what was being done to him, hating the fact that there was nothing he could do to speak for himself except squeal or whicker. The remote held several buttons and dials, but it was one of the dials that was deftly turned that brought the former man's attention to his own body. He twisted his head against the lead and struggled to turn his head about to stare at his chest and sides.

He felt the same odd sensation he always had, a ghostly feeling that let him get the vaguest hint that a body still remained in this suit, but it was a faded sensation. Each day it was farther away, the reality of that body was a faded memory that he grasped at. Instead, he watched as his chest grew thicker and heavier, barreling out and losing the slightly slender appearance of a human chest. He trembled, wanting to sob as he watched the ribs and chest growing deeper and heavier. The weight grew on his hooves as there was an unnerving sensation of parts of his body shifting. Even his organs, or was it only his imagination that they were changing too.

In the end, the flea bitten grey hide was glossy and the chest that he stared at didn't even look remotely human. It looked like what it was, a horses chest. He shifted and twisted his head to the other side, and found his legs moving more easily. He hadn't even been aware that when he moved them they had been inhibited by the wrongness of his chest. He snorted out and twisted his head back, glaring at his Jeremy with his ears kept well down on his head. How could this man do this to him? How could he keep doing this?

He tried to will up the rage and humiliation he felt, but it was mingled with so much more. It was mingled with affection and anticipation, it was mingled with memories of the hand stroking his neck and the sweets offered. It was mingled with the stroke of a brush. The memory of the words dooming his fate were overwhelmed with a hundred tones that he had heard from the man's lips. They colored each other until he didn't know where one started and the other began, even knowing the truth of who and what he was.

It was that divided mind that held still as a saddle pad was dropped onto his back and soon the hard leather of the saddle itself. He finally dropped his head down, how long would this go on? How long could he hold onto himself? The thoughts were long chewed over and he only let out a short grunt of protest as the girth was fastened beneath his stomach and pinched behind his elbows. It was in defeat, as well as humiliation that he allowed the bridle onto his head, the cold foul metal bar pinning his tongue as it fell along the gape of his teeth.

I will remember myself, I will... I have too...

~ ~ * ~ ~

"Really, Doug, what has gotten into you?" Jen tried to not put the wonder in her voice as her husband hooked his arm comfortably about her waist and swung her about.

She had come home, expecting to find her home either empty or possessing one of her husband's lovers from an extended visit. She always hoped for the former, it was the latter that was too humiliating for her, but she had been greeted by her husband himself. He hadn't just given her a nod and smile, asking after her trip, but swept her up in his arms and kissed her soundly. It was so out of character for him, so astounding that she had barely been able to speak as he grinned down at her, his hands resting on her hips. And his hands had remained on her.

He had touched her before, but it was always a gentle touch here and there. Nothing truly intimate, but as one might touch a close a friend, but there was nothing like that now. His touch was almost possessive as he tucked her in close to his side and announced that he had a surprise for her down at the stable. They had been married for years now, but he'd never been this demonstrative and she hardly dare speak for having him pull away from her. She had long since given up the hope that they would ever really have a relationship, the girl that had hoped for that had died long ago, but with a touch he revived that hope.

"I have a surprise for you." He answered again, his smile broadening. "A welcome home gift."

"A gift?" Jen faltered a bit at that. "I thought you'd be out today... Have you been waiting for me."

The hand squeezed firmly against her hips as he guided her down the path to the barn where one of the grooms was working out a horse. She barely spared them a glance as her husband remained holding her so close. She savored his touch, even as she knew that it was going to end soon. The part of her that had given up on this marriage had long since known the sham for what it was. No moment of affection and excitement could change that.

"I have had time to think while you were gone..." His handsome features turned into a frown. "I know I haven't given you the marriage you deserve, nor been the husband you need..."

"Doug, we both knew it from the start," She started, watching his expression soften as he came to a halt and touched her cheek ever so gently with the tip of one finger.

"It should be so much more, Jen, you are too beautiful a woman to ignore." His voice turned tender, bringing a rush of heat to her cheeks that she couldn't stop. "I've seen this, and I won't allow you to live like I've done before. So I've bought you a gift, from me to you, a gift for you to remember my love by."

As he gestured she lifted her eye to the groom who was trying to get a rather spirited horse to calm down, his legs clamped down against the barrel while the showy grey tugged restlessly, snorting a few times before finally turning in a slow circle. Every line of the stallion screamed of his breeding, his curved neck, his proud looking head, the muscles that rippled beneath his glossy coat. His tail was held up high while he chewed at the bit and turned about again, swinging his head towards her so the intelligent eyes faced her and seemed to watch her as the groom urged him forward.

"He's green broke, but I thought you'd like the pleasure of his training to fall to you." Doug moved his hand down to cup her own. "But when I saw him, I knew that there was one place he belonged... Here."

"Oh Doug..." She trailed off, her eyes drinking in the warmblood who was turned about again and stepped off with a fluid movement beneath his rider.

And when her husband moved his hand to her chin, she trembled, staring into the beloved features of a man she had never imagined would touch her this way. His lips were just as sweet as she had always dreamed.