Desperate for a glimmer of hope, she pressed further, her voice trembling, “Any horns?” There was a chance, however small, that the soldiers had managed to strike down at least one of the unicorns.
“It seems they all managed to escape.”
Luna’s heart sank, the weight of their failure pressing down on her. She had been lucky the shadow unicorn hadn’t attacked her earlier.
As if he could be summoned by pure thought alone, the tavern bell chimed. The door swung open, and Luna lost her ability to breathe. Had he found her to finish her off? She gulped in air, shrinking back in her chair. He strode straight to the bar, seemingly unaware of her presence. Dressed all in black, from his waistcoat to his pants, the fabric as dark as his shadow magic, he looked even more alluring. He moved with such casual ease, as though he weren’t the most powerful being in the kingdom.If he wanted to, he could reduce the whole place to rubble, but instead, he politely ordered a drink.
Two mugs in hand, Marion returned to the table wearing a goofy little smile. “I think tonight is the night I get lucky!” she declared, lifting her mug of mead and downing it in one go.
Luna forced a smile, the practiced, courtly one she’d perfected over the years to mask whatever she was truly feeling. Hiding behind the motion of taking a sip, she chanced a glance at the shadow unicorn over the rim of her glass. His gaze locked onto hers, and a jolt of panic coursed through her. She quickly glanced away, pretending not to notice.
“He’s a cutie,” Marion remarked, her voice light with teasing.
Playing innocent, Luna scanned the room, her eyes darting over the other patrons. “Who?”
“The guy you were just ogling. Let’s call him over.”
“I wasn’t—What? No, don’t do that.”
It was too late. Marion had let out a loud whistle, not only getting the man’s attention, but also the entire bar’s.
Luna wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Slumping further down in her chair, she tried to stay out of sight.Maybe he hadn’t noticed me?A quick glimpse in his direction informed her that was false hope. His gaze was unwavering, pulling her in with such intensity her skin prickled. Heat surged to her face.
He smirked, the corners of his lips lifting—too casual, too assured.
Her breath hitched, unease swelling in her chest, tangled with something unsettling. Anticipation? Dread? Definitely not longing; it couldn’t possibly be that.
As he rose from his seat, every instinct screamed at her to run. How could she possibly survive a third encounter with a unicorn? She didn’t move, fear rooting her to her chair. Each step he took brought her closer to the edge, her heart raced so loudly it echoed in her ears.
He was coming for her, and she was powerless to stop it.
In a single sweeping motion, he grabbed a chair and slid it into place at their table. “I didn’t know you would be here,” he stated, plopping down into the seat, as if she had planned this.
“Oh! You two know each other?” Marion chirped, rising to her feet. “In that case, I’ll leave you two to catch up.”
Luna stared at her friend in disbelief. Was she seriously going to leave her sitting at the table withhim? Luna’s jaw tightened, her teeth grinding against each other as she watched Marion practically skip towards Gregory, leaving her to face the stranger. With a sharp exhale, Luna turned back to him, a flicker of annoyance rising in her chest. “It’s odd how we keep running into each other.” She forced her voice to sound composed. “One might be inclined to believe you’re following me.”
He scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself. Thirst brought me here.” He rolled his shoulders back, puffing up his chest. “But since we keep running into each other, I suppose it’s about time we officially introduce ourselves.” He reached his hand out as if she was supposed to do something with it. “I’m Damien.”
She narrowed her eyes; he hadn’t exactly denied the idea of following her. “And I’m leaving.” Her gaze slid to the bar where Marion sat with Gregory as she rose from the table. She should probably say goodbye before she left.
“Always so scared,” the unicorn taunted. His voice rumbled through the air, cutting through her thoughts, stopping her in her tracks. “Go on then,” he mocked, his chair creaking as he leaned back. “Fear controls every aspect of your existence; why fight it now?”
She whipped her head back towards him and spat out, “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you deny what you are.”
Was he referring to the note he’d written? The audacity of him was astounding. “I’m not acaptive.” She tried to sound cool, collected, detached even. In reality, her voice came out high-pitched and squeaky, like a kitten growling—small and absolutely unconvincing.
“Then sit down, enjoy your drink.” His voice softened, the teasing edge gone for a moment, as if his next words were so truthful, so completely from the heart, that they couldn’t possibly be a lie. “We both know I won’t hurt you. I’ve already proven that.” He lifted two fingers, tapping them casually against the edge of the table. “Twice, in fact. Besides, you’re safer with me than you ever were in that palace.”
She rolled her eyes.Do all unicorns think this highly of themselves?
“One drink. Consider it payment for earlier.”
He was using the fact he saved her against her. She should’ve expected such lowly behaviour from one ofhiskind. But, she supposed without his magic, she would have died from her injuries. Her eyes fell towards her half-empty mug on the table. Right now, she should be running back to the palace to sound the alarms before it was too late; do the responsible thing and accept her punishment for leaving. Yes, that’s what sheshoulddo.
Instead, she ground her teeth and muttered, “Fine.” She slumped back in her chair. “Luna,” she added, taking a large gulp of her drink. The too-sweet alcohol stung once again as it went down, making her swallow hard. The faster the mead disappeared, the quicker this conservation would be over.
