Page 15 of Unicorn Unashamed

“I’m reacting to your pheromones.”

“You are?” Raymond asked, freezing on the couch

“Yeah. That’s why I’m feeling, you know, all drifty and stuff.” More specifically, he felt ready to curl up under some nice warm blankets and take a nap, but that probably also had something to do with the rain continuing to pound down outside.

“But… drifty? That’s it?”

“What’s it?”

“That’s, um… all you’re feeling?”

“Yeah? Why?” Josh blinked muzzily before he realized what Raymond was very carefully trying not to ask. “Oh! Oh, no—Raymond, don’t worry about it. I might not be on suppressants, but I take a libido inhibitor. You don’t… you don’t need to worry.”

It stung. What was Raymond expecting? For Josh to jump him? Sure, Josh wanted to, but he had control. All unicorns had control. Going virile didn’t turn them mindless. Just miserable.

Instead of looking relieved, Raymond just frowned.

So did Josh. His light, happy mood was dissipating. “What now?”

“I thought… I thought inhibitors could be really bad for you guys.”

Josh shrugged. “It’s suppressants that can be the most harmful, especially if you’re on them long-term. Inhibitors can have some side effects, but as long as you don’t take them constantly year-round, you’re usually fine.”

“What do you do for the times you don’t take them?” Raymond asked, sounding hesitant.

Josh blinked, taken aback. “You want to know about my sex life?”

Raymond immediately dropped his gaze to the floor and pressed himself further back against the couch. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Sorry. I’m… you know I speak before I think, sometimes.”

He looked so uncomfortable that Josh softened. “It’s okay. I know you’ve got that thirst for knowledge thing going on. I don’t mind answering some questions, as long as you’re not looking for, like, specific details.”

“Sorry,” Raymond said again, still not looking up. “I haven’t really, you know, known a unicorn shifter, aside from you. Most of what I know is from articles and documentaries. I’ve read a lot, but there’s so much conflicting information out there, and it’s like… so much of it is garbage. So I just…”

“Yeah, I getcha,” Josh said. “It’s okay. I’m not uncomfortable.”

“I’m sorry,” Raymond all but whimpered.

“It’s okay,” Josh said again, wanting to soothe him. He figured he didn’t mind offering up some information. “And I do the usual thing.”

“The usual thing?”

“For when I go off the inhibitors,” Josh clarified. “I’m lucky. My virile period only lasts about three days, and I usually only get really desperate once or twice a day. So I use toys, or find someone each night or for the three-day block, and it’s all taken care of.”

“Oh,” Raymond said. “Yeah, I—that makes sense. Of course.” Almost to himself, he mumbled, “Of course you find someone.”

“Yeah,” Josh said, trying desperately not to read into that. That’s not what Raymond wants. “It saves me from most of the hassle that comes with having the stupid periods in the first place.

“Hassle?”

Josh snorted. “Doctors aren’t always the best at listening to their patients. I know one guy who had to go to three different people before he got a script for the suppressant implant. They were all, ‘well, are you sure?’ and, ‘what if you change your mind?’ and, ‘you know this will affect your periods for a whole year, right?’ And I didn’t feel like dealing with shit like that when I didn’t have to. I already have enough trouble with my normal scripts.”

“Trouble?” Raymond asked, expression clouding.

Josh sighed. “Yay American capitalism, right? Or prejudice. Whatever. There’s a lot of shit that comes with being a unicorn, and that includes being at the mercy of decision-makers at insurance companies. It’s the same reason why I’ve got to shell out money for my absorption pads, but people give out condoms for free.”

Raymond’s face darkened, and he actually rumbled out a growl. “That’s bullshit.”

“You’re telling me,” Josh said just as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, Raymond doing the same with his phone—

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