Page 55 of Used By the Unicorn

“I know. I have to try, though.”

She presses her lips together. “The whole horn might be enough.”

I nod. “Thank you. Thank you for taking care of them. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She stops me when I turn to go. “We have the tools here.”

I sigh. “I’ll bring back what we have stored as well. I want to give them the best chance.”

The naiad squeezes my arm. “Hurry.”

With that chilling word speeding my journey, I floor it all the way home. I dash in through the door, calling out before it occurs to me Bliss is probably sleeping.

Shit.

Sapphy trots up the stairs to find me tearing apart the closet in my room. “What happened? Is she OK?”

I shake my head. “She will be. I just need to find where she—” I pull a large sweater out of Jade’s side of the closet and a container with ten packets of finely ground powder falls out onto the floor.

Sapphy gasps. “Is that...?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, no.” Her voice is low. Suddenly, she turns to leave. “I’m getting Bliss and Knight. We’re coming, too.”

They’re already getting into the backseat of the car when I twist the horn cap over the stump of my horn and dump the bag into the trunk. I get into the front seat and turn to look at them all. “Ready?”

Sapphy’s eyes go wide and she stares at my forehead. “Stirling, your horn!”

“Worth it.” I turn back to the wheel, starting the engine to avoid the confrontation I’m afraid Knight will start.

He says nothing, though. Just coos to Bliss in her car seat as I back out of the drive.

As soon as I’ve stopped the car, I fling open my door and scramble out, not waiting for the others as I gallop down the path. What I find when I make it to the glade stops my heart for one terrifying moment.

Jade lays with her head lolled back on Boaz’s shoulder in the water. She’s completely still.

Boaz turns and gives me a smile. “Sleeping. As long as she stays in the water the cramps haven’t come back, and she’s not bleeding anymore.”

I brace both my hands on the edge of the hot tub and let out a shaky breath. “Thank you. For a moment there, I thought—”

He shakes his head. “Not on my watch.” Then he twists further to stare at my forehead and his mouth falls open. “Your horn!”

Hesitantly, I reach up and touch the tiny stump of horn. Just enough to screw on the type of horn cap usually reserved for the elderly who have none left. Except of course no horn caps in the grove.

It wasn’t even a question in my mind about what to do when things turned bad for Jade and her baby.

Boaz gives Jade a little stir. “Jade. Stirling’s back. He has the alicorn.”

She rouses, sitting and rubbing at her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t take it before.” Her lip trembles. I look away before she cries, knowing she’ll hate it if I see. “Let me find the nurse and get her advice on the best way to take it.”

The naiad I spoke to earlier is already approaching. “She’s doing pretty well, all things considered. Things certainly haven’t gotten worse. How much alicorn have you brought?”

I hold up the entire container I brought with me.

Her eyes widen. “So much! That’s very good.”

I feel a whole lot better when she takes it from me, assuring me she’s going to make up a drink for Jade.

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