She turned in a slow circle. “I wouldn’t think so. But I was so disoriented.” She shot a hard glare at the tiger. “And then this one frightened the daylights out of me. I thought I was about to become a snack. It was then that I spotted the lights from Sevenrest and soon after, heard the music.”
“We can head east for a while, but as I said, the road is quite a ways. ’Tis doubtful ye would have wandered this far…unless ye walked for quite a while?”
Her worried frown drew her sleek brows closer over her troubled eyes. “It didn’t feel like I walked all that long.” She halted and turned her head. “Listen. Something…something is…in trouble.”
He lifted his head and reached out with his senses, since no sound came to his ears. How the devil could a mortal hear something that he could not? Still, even with concentrating on every living thing within the wood, he heard nothing.
Lexi pointed. “That way.” She took off, hurrying with long strides, then she broke into a run. “Hear it?” she called back over her shoulder. “It needs my help.”
And then he heard it. It was faint on the wind rustling through the branches of the trees. His heart fell. It was the sound of a unicorn dying.
ChapterFive
Concentrating on the sound of the animal in distress enabled Lexi to push away the disturbing connection, the odd closeness, the strange feeling of having known Jeros all her life. That was ridiculous. How could she possibly feel like that? Not when he claimed to be a nineteenth century fairy from Scotland’s Seventh Realm—whateverthatwas. Of course, that would explain his slightly pointed ears. She had tried not to stare when he’d raked his hands through his sleek, dark hair and revealed them. But that did not explain the impossible-to-ignore sense that she knew him as well as she knew herself, even though they had just met.
“Unbelievable.” She skidded to a halt in the leaf mold covering the damp forest floor. “That can’t possibly be.”
Up ahead, in a mossy clearing lit by an eerie pale blue light, was a silvery white unicorn, its swollen sides shuddering with hard, heavy breathing. The reportedly mythical animal emitted a low, weary groan.
Without a thought as to how impossible this had to be, Lexi’s heart lurched. If she didn’t help this poor beast, there would be one less unicorn in this world. She eased forward, speaking low and calm. “Hello, Mama. Don’t be afraid. I’m going to help you get baby into this world so you can meet him or her.”
She glanced back at Jeros and gave Aylryd a pointed look. “Keep him back. He’ll frighten her.”
The tiger immediately took a non-threatening position, lounging at the base of the tree.
“See, lass? He obeys ye. Not me.” Jeros nodded at the unicorn. “Can ye help her? She is dying.”
“Don’t say that!” Lexi hated it when people assumed animals couldn’t understand what was said around them. The unicorn must not think they had given up, because if she sensed that, then she would give up too. Lexi moved closer until she could offer the unbelievably beautiful creature a sniff of her hand. “I can help you, Mama. I’ve pulled many a foal when they were stubborn and decided to take the wrong position. We’ll get your baby into this world. Don’t you worry.”
Understanding, relief, and pleading shone in the unicorn’s great dark eyes. She agreed with a soft, breathless grumble.
“Relax, Mama. I know you are weary. We’ll meet your baby soon.” Lexi ran her hands down the animal’s sides, smiling at the similarity in the feel of a unicorn’s supple coat with that of a well-brushed thoroughbred. Removing her jacket, she rolled up her shirtsleeves until they were nearly to her armpits. Depending on baby, she might have to reach inside clear to her shoulder. From the size of the swollen mare, she wondered if she was dealing with twins. If it were a horse, she’d bet on two without a doubt, but this was her first unicorn delivery, and damned if she wasn’t determined to make it a success.
“Okay, Mama. I know this is kind of up close and personal, but I need to feel around and find baby’s position.” Many a vet had made fun of her for talking to her animal patients as if they were human. Lexi ignored them. She firmly believed that animals understood and were better off for it.
“How can I help?” Jeros asked from where he had remained standing beside Aylryd.
“Not sure yet,” she said as she rested her cheek on the unicorn’s rump, closed her eyes, and visualized everything she felt. The foal was turned the wrong way, and it was a good-sized baby. She wouldn’t be able to tell for certain if there was another one until she got this one out. With a firm grip on the tiny hooves, she gently pulled with a steadiness born of years of experience, working in tandem with the unicorn’s body and its contractions. “That’s it, Mama. Next contraction, we’ll have this baby out, and then we’ll see if you have another. I think you might have twins, Mama. What do you think?”
The unicorn grumbled again, but it sounded weaker. The poor thing had to be delivered of these babies immediately. Lexi wished they were back in her barn, where she could administer an emergency cesarean section. Out here in the woods, Mama unicorn would never survive such a surgery.
With a mighty pull, the glistening foal slid out. It was as golden as if it were gilded with the finest gold. “Are they supposed to be that color?” she asked Jeros. “I’m not a unicorn expert.”
“Aye. The wee ones are born golden and hornless. After a few years, their colors change to the iridescent silver, and they get their horn.”
“Congratulations, Mama. You have a little boy,” she said to the mare as she carried the wiggling foal to the mare’s side, close to her udder. “But rest a moment while I see if there’s another.”
The unicorn found the strength to lift her head and nuzzle her baby, all the while making soft, little grunts.
“Now, let’s see if there is another one waiting to meet us.” Lexi reached inside and smiled. “I knew it!” She caught hold of the tiny hooves and pulled again. “Come to me, baby number two. Your brother is out of the way now. Come on. You can do it.”
The foal slid out in a whoosh of placenta and fluids, but it didn’t wiggle. Lexi’s heart fell. This baby was dangerously still.
She ripped off her button-up shirt she’d worn over her t-shirt, and started rubbing the baby down, clearing the placenta away from its head and gently blowing into its nose after running her finger around its tiny mouth and cleaning out as much mucus as she could from its throat. “Come on, little one. I never give up, and you shouldn’t either. Breathe for me. Come on.”
She paused in breathing air into the unicorn foal’s nostrils and turned to Jeros. “I need you to do compressions while I breathe into her. Get over here.”
Her heart lurched again, but this time because it was awe-inspiring to see a man the size of a mountain jump to follow her instructions without hesitation. He knelt beside the motionless foal and said, “Show me.”
