I felt like I’d fallen into a cheap punch bowl spiked with bootleg gin.
“Delaney. Why are you bothering me? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
She rested in the middle of her red fur quilt, a pile of satin and velvet pillows stacked behind her so she could lounge with all four legs tucked up under her.
She was in unicorn form, and the clash between the pink of her body and the diamond bright horn in the room gave me an instant headache.
The mirrors weren’t helping with that.
Which was absolutely her intention. She might look like a cute little unicorn, but she was a demon queen through and through.
“You had a package left at your door this morning.”
She reached over to the box of chocolates on the night stand and popped one into her mouth. Horse hooves, well, unicorn hooves shouldn’t work like that but Xtelle was a demon. She could make her hooves do whatever she wanted.
“Did you see who brought it in?” I asked.
“No.”
“Did someone knock?”
“No.”
“How did you know it was delivered?”
“I could feel it. Don’t make that face. I felt it. I felt what was in the box.”
“This is my normal face. I’m not making any faces.”
“You poor thing.”
“What was in the box?”
She squinted at me. “Bathin told you already, didn’t he?”
“I spoke with him. I want to hear it from you.”
“This isn’t my fault,” she groused.
“Okay.”
“I’m following all the stupid rules of stupid Ordinary stupid Oregon.”
“Okay.”
“It’s not even supposed to be here. I didn’t bring it here.”
“You’re going to drive the long way around to the answer, aren’t you?”
“I know I’m supposed to bow to your authority and toe the line. Well, hoof the line. I know I have to be a good pony.”
“You’re not a pony.”
“Thankyou!” she said. “I am a beautiful, sweet unicorn.” She tossed her mane and a thousand Xtelles in the mirrors did the same. “Isn’t beautiful more important than good? Isn’t sweet better than well-behaved?”
“Succinct is better than dramatic. Straightforward is more important than looks. Direct will work.”
“Sweet and beautiful and carefree and…and innocent!” She lowered her head and coyly fluttered her eyelashes. “Such a pretty unicorn deserves a present.”
