Something close to a grin practically curled his lips as Harlow said, “Then what’s with the secrecy—worried mommy and daddy won’t approve?”
“Enough. I’m done playing.”
And that was all the warning Damien gave.
He charged. A blur of power and fury, his horn a spear aimed to kill.
Harlow sidestepped with effortless ease, leaving Knox to take the opening. Knox met Damien’s charge head-on, a wall of muscle and brute force. Damien’s horn struck, but instead of piercing through, it skidded off Knox’s hide in a shower of sparks, the impact jarring through both of them.
And then Knox drove forward.
With a violent heave, he twisted his weight and rammed into Damien’s exposed side, and a sickening crack like thunder echoed as Damien’s hooves left the ground. Thrown sideways, his body slammed into the dirt with a force that sent dust and debris flying; the air knocked from his lungs.
Luna’s breath hitched.No.
She bolted from the shadows, but he was already rising. He shook off the impact and a growl rumbled . . . deep and guttural—a sound no unicorn should make.
Dark shadows spun around him, swirling with such force that the wind howled and branches snapped away from trees. With a sharp flick of his head, he let them loose.
The tornadoes snatched Harlow and Knox off their splintered hooves, wrenching them into the air. They slammed against the nearest tree, their bodies pinned against it. Damien’s shadows curled around their throats, squeezing . . . hungry.
Dangling, choking, Harlow only grinned, lips parting in something too smug for a man held by the throat. “You take all the fun out of messing with you.”
Both Harlow and Knox shifted to something more human, but not entirely. Both had a shorter version of their horns protruding from their foreheads, equine ears near the crown of their heads, and a pair of devilish horns and tails. Never before had Luna heard of or seen a partial shift. In her studies, unicorns were always depicted in either human or horse form. She supposed it made sense to transform only halfway; thumbs were certainly more useful than hooves.
Damien’s shadows retreated, allowing the pair to fall to the ground.
Grumbling, they rose and brushed the dirt from their skin. Luna quickly averted her gaze, but not before catching far too much.
They wereobnoxiouslyhandsome.
Harlow stood tall, his features chiselled and sharp, every angle sculpted to draw attention while Knox, in contrast, was all solid power—broad shoulders, thick with muscle, built like something meant to break things.
Why were all unicorns so devastatingly good-looking? It simply wasn’t right.
A huge smile spread across Knox’s face, and he elbowed Harlow in the ribs, gesturing towards where Luna stood. “Well, aren’t you pretty,” Knox purred.
Damien whorled around and, upon seeing Luna, cursed. “Skies above!”
Sheepishly but not meekly, she replied, “I thought you needed help.”
“What would you have done?” Damien asked, barely containing his frustration. He let out an exasperated sigh. “Ireallywish you had stayed put.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Knox said, flicking his fiery red hair over his shoulder. “Hiding such beauty is simply a crime.”
Harlow whistled. “And such power. I can feel it from here.”
Her cheeks warmed, unease curling in her chest. Unsure of what to do or say, she awkwardly shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Worried if she did or said the wrong thing, she would end up like the rest of the villagers. Dead.
“I’ve got to say,” Harlow said, maintaining a safe distance from Damien. “I’m impressed you could make such a delicious thingyours.”
“She’s notmine.”
Knox waddled his eyebrows. “So, you’re saying she’s available?” And in two quick strides, he was leaning over her, his arm resting on her shoulder as he played with her hair.
A shudder straightened her spine.
Was he aware that he was still naked?
