Page 40 of Mark of Love (Love Mark 3)

Leaning forward, I whispered into the unicorn’s ear. “Maybe you should hide your horn.”

If word got out that unicorns were still around, she’d be in danger.

The horn immediately disappeared.

Wow. That was still amazing how they could simply change like that.

The family neared, then passed right by us. I offered the driver and his wife—then the three young kids riding in the wagon in the back—a smile and nod, making sure to keep my manacled hands hidden out of sight, and they good-naturedly waved back.

Once they’d moved on, the unicorn changed colors until its coat was a sleek black. A few seconds later, it became brown, then gray, speckled, and back to white again. As it kept alternating, I glanced around, hoping no one else was seeing this.

“Umm...” I

nudged Melaina. “What is she doing?”

Ahead of us, Quilla glanced back at the question, and my heart gave an odd thump for gaining her attention. But as soon as the horse changed colors again, she sniffed in disinterest and turned away again.

“It looks like she’s trying to find out which color you’d prefer her to be,” Melaina finally explained. “It’s like she wants to please you or something.”

“I—oh.” I palmed the side of the unicorn’s neck. “Color doesn’t matter. Just...” I wanted to tell her to simply please stop changing them because it was making her really stand out, but I didn’t want to upset her. From all the stories my mother had told me about unicorns when I was young, they didn’t like to be told what to do. They were proudly their own master and could be easily offended. And they were downright malicious to anyone they considered a foe. So the last thing I wanted to do was make her a foe.

“You should be whatever color you like most,” I suggested carefully.

“Ooh, pick the brown and white speckled one,” Melaina suggested. “You know, like a mix between Pinto and Appaloosa. Those are my favorite.”

Scowling at her for trying to steal my animal friend’s decision from her, I leaned closer to the unicorn and stroked her neck as I murmured, “You be whatever color you want to be.”

The unicorn’s hide immediately turned black and white striped, like a zebra’s, and its long mane shortened into a monochromatic spike.

“Uh...” This was not at all what I’d meant. I’d hoped for something inconspicuous so no one else would mess with her. But everyone would stare if I rode by on a freaking oversized zebra.

But I’d already told her to choose for herself, and I couldn’t take that back without being an ass and maybe upsetting her.

I cleared my throat. “Er, looks good.” And I patted her shoulder companionably.

Under me, the animal began to purr.

“I should really give you a name, though,” I added on an afterthought.

“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Melaina advised.

I looked up. “Why not?”

“Because she already has a name, you idiot. You’ll offend her if you start calling her something else.”

Slowing to a stop as I watched Melaina walk ahead, I blinked after her for a puzzled second before leaning forward. “Do you really already have your own name?” I whispered into the unicorn’s ear.

She nodded her head yes.

I flung my hands into the air. “Well, how the hell am I supposed to guess what to call you?”

The unicorn-horse-zebra began to drag her hoof through the dirt in the ground under us.

Frowning in confusion, I leaned over her shoulder and watched as she made strange marks that suddenly looked like letters until she spelled the word Holly.

“Holly?” I said.

The unicorn whinnied and tossed her head, affirming my guess.

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