The fact that Damien and Harlow seemed to know each meant they had a history—and considering how Damien had hidden her in shadows, chances were whatever history they shared wasn’t good. Were Damien and her about to meet the same fate the rest of the village had?
Harlow gasped at the insult, taking a step backwards as if he had been physically wounded. “There’s no need to go hurting my feelings. I certainly wouldn’t blame you for abandoning—”
“You shut your mouth,” Damien snapped.
Luna flinched from the intensity in his voice as she watched his shadows respond with his words, pooling around him. They swirled and darkened, threatening to swallow the other unicorn whole.
Yet . . . Harlow seemed unbothered. He tossed his head in the air with zero cares in the world, his mane whipping around him from the movement. “Oh, lighten up a bit,” Harlow taunted, chuckling like he found it all too funny to see Damien unsettled. “There’s no need for your shadows to get all riled up.”
“Who’s getting all riled up?” A second unicorn appeared from behind a tree, joining the small gathering. His fur was the colour of fire: A bright, beautiful orange-red that took Luna’s breath away. He, too, had three horns trailing down his forehead, except his were much shorter than his friend’s.
“The Prince of Shadows,” Harlow answered with a sneer.
Luna gasped, quick and sharp. “The—what—ofshadows?”
Harlow’s ears twitched towards her. Luna froze.Gods.She’d said it out loud. A hand flew to her mouth, but no amount of praying to the skies would erase the words from existence.
“And a friend,” he added, a humanlike grin dancing across his lips like he’d just been handed a treat.
“I didn’t know we were playing hide and seek,” the red unicorn mused. “It’s not very fair that they got a head start.”
Harlow dipped his head in a slow, deliberate nod. “I agree, Knox. Game’s over, time to come out little friend—no need to be shy.” His lips pulled up in something eerily close to a smirk; the expression almost beautiful in its wickedness—a taunting contrast to the holy glow of his pristine coat.
Luna stayed where she was, every instinct warning her that he was dangerous in ways she couldn’t comprehend.
“Mind your own business,” Damien snapped, his voice practically a growl.
Harlow tipped his head to the sky and laughed. A low, chilling sound that seemed to slither from his throat. “Ooo—so testy! Now, I really want to know who’s behind your shadows,Prince.”
“It has to be someone special,” Knox added, tilting his head . . . as if the tip of his horn could pull back Damien’s magic. “Perhaps a lady?”
“I swear to the skies above,” Damien said, each word deliberate and razor-edged. “I will kill you both.”
His voice didn’t rise, didn’t waver; it didn’t need to. The weight of his promise settled over the space between them, heavy as a blade pressed to a throat. His eyes narrowed, dark and glinting, not with rage but with certainty.
“Oh, come now,” Knox said, “it’s not like we’d hunt her down or something.”
A statement that made Luna think they would, in fact, hunt her down and have the time of their lives doing so.
A laugh followed from the pair, erupting as large as the forest . . . so sinister in nature that it cut through the air like a knife, making Luna’s very bones rattle.
Damien stood perfectly still, his attention unwavering, like a lion in the brush before it pounced its prey.
The laughter stopped, but the taunting continued. “Aw. Don’t tell me you’ve developed a soft spot for some human,” Harlow said, “I didn’t think you were the type.”
“You’re disgusting,” Damien said.
Harlow flicked an ear, dismissive. “Maybe—but I’m not the one using magic to hide all these dead bodies. Whoever you’ve put behind your shadows must be extra special to shield from such splendor.”
The shadows blanketing the ground grew darker, swirling like mist, confirming Harlow’s words. Luna’s stomach twisted into knots. How many people had Knox and Harlow killed? She didn’t want to know. All she wanted was to get out of here.Now.But if she ran, surely the unicorns would hear her and chase her. She was safer with Damien, right? She looked towards him, silently pleading for an answer of what to do, but he didn’t spare a glance her way; his gaze remained solely focused on Harlow and Knox.
“I don’t answer to lowlifes like you.” He let the silence stretch, just long enough for the tension to settle in.
Then, softer—almost like he was bored . . . “Now leave before I grow tired of this conversation and decide to pull your spine out through your horn.”
“Damien. Damien. Damien,” Knox replied, cool, calm, collected. Not a trace of fear in his eyes. “This is a judgment-free zone—I don’t care if you’ve decided to frolic with a human.”
“I haven’t.”
