Page 30 of Used By the Unicorn

Oh, my god. I’m such an asshole.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

He’s still holding out the flowers. They’re nice, too. Not roses. The only time I’ve ever been bought flowers before, they were roses. Cheap, half-wilted supermarket roses.

These are lush and perfect lilies. Their huge white petals fold delicately out from bright yellow stems.

“I think you might be the only woman in the world where I’m risking life and limb bringing you flowers.”

I scowl. “I’m not that bad.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

With a sigh, I accept the flowers because what else am I supposed to do? I turn to find something to put them in rather than letting him see the smile I can’t stop from creeping onto my lips. “They’re very nice.” It’s the shittiest thank you ever. I’m aware of that.

Now, I’m not only feeling guilty about the way I snuck out on him yesterday, but about that, too.

I find a glass and fill it with water and set the flowers on the counter. Then I take a huge, fortifying sip of coffee. I immediately feel better.

Who am I kidding? I felt better the moment Stirling walked into Oniero. He always has that effect on me.

“What are you up to today?”

I set down the coffee and give him a look. “Are we going to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

I sigh. “The fact that I walked out without even saying goodbye yesterday after—” I cut myself off before I can say ‘the most amazing sex of my life’. Every time with Stirling seems to fit into that category. I should probably fuck him again, just so I can have a disappointing experience and get over him that much faster. No way it can be that good every time.

Shit. Listen to me.Get over him. As if I’m under him in the first place.

Oh, God, I’d like to be.

He shrugs. “Do you want to?”

“Nope.”

In the silence, I wonder again if I’ve been too blunt.

“I should probably not be drinking this.” I take another sip of the coffee, anyway.

“Why not?” He leans casually on the front of the counter.

I look around, even though there’s no one else here. “Because of the baby.”

He frowns. Then his eyes widen. “Oh, the health stuff. You know, I can help with that. If you want me to.”

I stare at him. “You can?”

“Sure.” He taps his horn. “Drink a little of this and you don’t need to worry about that stuff.”

“Drink what now?”

He screws the cap off his horn and I see for the first time that it’s not pointy the way I pictured it. Instead, the end is blunted, almost as if...

“You have to consume it. Grind it, eat, or drink it. That’s where the magic is. Enough alicorn can heal anything. Even death, though that would take a whole horn. A whole herd of horns.”

I turn pale. “The whole horn?” I’m suddenly sad to think of Stirling without his beautiful horn.

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