Page 31 of Used By the Unicorn

He smiles. “Not for this. Just a tiny amount will do. It’s part of a herd mate’s duties.”

Despite myself, I lift my hand and he lowers his head as if reading my mind so I can touch it. It’s incredibly smooth. I knew it was smooth after feeling it inside me, but the tip where he has ground it down is even smoother. “And you ground this...?”

He pulls back and nods. “For Sapphy’s foal. And I will for every baby born to my herd. I’m proud to do it.”

An answering smile drifts onto my face. It’s lovely. Another thing about unicorn culture that just feels right.

I shake my head. “I can’t let you do that for me, though.”

The smile falls from Stirling’s face, but he only nods. “That’s OK. The offer is there if you ever change your mind.”

It would be silly, wouldn’t it? Getting him to give up some of his horn, just so I could eat some soft cheese? Selfish because I’m not part of his herd. I won’t ever be. Also, it feels stupid to use it for something so trivial. Magic that amazing should be saved for something important.

So, why is it so hard to turn him down?

“I won’t stay. I’m sure you’re about to tell me to get going anyway.”

I’ve offended him. Of course, I have.

In the doorway, he turns back with another smile. “Come out to the farm with us next weekend? Come for a run?”

He looks so hopeful. I already feel bad for turning him down, and for yesterday.

Before I can stop myself, I grin, “Sure. A friendly run. Sounds like fun.”

Yes, I over-emphasize the word ‘friendly’. And yes, I know he sees right through me. I see through him, too, when the big grin is back on his face.

I should let him down gently now, before he builds up too much hope.

Only I like it too much that he still hasn’t given up on me.

THIRTEEN

Jade

We take two cars out to the farm. When the herd arrives to pick me up, I have to decide whether to ride with Sapphy and Knight, or Boaz and Stirling.

Stirling’s presence and Boaz’s heated looks immediately have me buzzing with pent-up energy. Before I can give into temptation, I step toward Sapphy. “I’ll go with you, if that’s OK.”

Yeah, I spot the hurt expression on Stirling’s face. He covers it quickly, but his ears droop. I hate it. Twists my guts up in knots and I hate that, too.

I’m coming, aren’t I? He should be happy.

Except, I know he’s not. Not if he’s feeling the way I’m feeling right now. All I can think about is squeezing in next to him in the back seat and letting my hands roam.

The drive out takes about forty minutes. Not as long as I expect. Sapphy makes cheerful conversation. Knight doesn’t say much, but I get the impression that’s pretty normal.

“So y’all own the farm, too?” I ask her.

“Nope. Some friends of ours. They let us use it, though, when we need to get out in nature.”

We soon reach the outskirts of the city. The landscape changes from neat brick houses with white picket fences to open stretches of land. Then we’re in the woods, heading off down a winding dirt road.

Knight stops the car at a gate that leads through a barbed wire fence into a more open field.

“Here we are,” Sapphy says.

I’m not sure what to expect. I wore runners and sweats, uncertain if Stirling was serious about actually riding him, or if we’re genuinely going for a run. When I get out of the car, I realize immediately things aren’t going to go down the way this would if this were a group of humans. Boaz is already in the process of stripping. He slips his jeans over lean hips and steps out of them buck naked and utterly unabashed. Forget about running, this has my heart speeding up already. I start undressing as well.

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