"Here you go, black, just how you like it." He offered me the other mug, and his fingers brushed mine. A familiar warmth spread through my chest.
"Perfect timing," I said, taking a sip. The rich, slightly bitter liquid was exactly right.
"Always." His green eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled down at me. He leaned in, and his lips met mine in a quick, soft kiss that still managed to send a flutter through me.
"Breakfast will be ready soon," he said before turning back toward the house.
"Smells good," I called after him, watching as he disappeared inside.
Beth blew on her coffee, eyeing me with a half-smile. "You two are cute, you know that?"
"I know,” I said happily as I watched the steam curl from my coffee, the morning chill making me grateful for the warmth, but I didn’t want to focus on that. Not right now. I wanted this to be about her. "So, how have the stakeouts been going at the Unicorn Pit?"
It was the best way I could think to ask her about Wade without coming on too strong. She had been private about her thoughts and feelings concerning the man, but I wanted to leave the door open for her to talk to me about him. When she was ready.
Beth took a sip of her coffee, and a mischievous twinkle lit up her eyes. "Oh, you know, the usual magical creature surveillance," she said. "Three dead unicorns turned up, but it's been quiet since. No new deliveries."
"Dead unicorns, just like that?" My brows knitted together as I processed her words.
"Yep," Beth popped the 'p' as if she were discussing the weather. "Dead as doornails. But no one's brought any more since then." She shrugged, a wry smile playing on her lips. "And they’ve been whole, except for the horns," Beth continued, stirring the creamer into her coffee absently.
Except the horns? Why would someone kill a unicorn but just take its horn? There must be something I’m missing here. Heck, I don’t even know what the benefit of killing a unicorn would be inanyway. I clearly need to keep learning about the supernatural world.
"Someone just… took them?" I frowned, the idea unsettling.
"Clean cut." Beth's face tightened, a shadow passing over her features. "Whoever did this knew what they were doing. It wasn't some amateur with a hacksaw."
"Three unicorn horns..." My voice trailed off. "But what for?”
"They can do a lot,” Beth said. "Like dangerous magic a lot. Like you don’t want to mess with that much magic a lot."
I sipped my coffee as the magnitude of that statement sank in. In the supernatural community, that kind of powerful magic was not just dangerous; it was catastrophic if put in the wrong hands.
"Right. A person with that much power..." Beth shuddered. "They could bend reality. It's seriously dark stuff."
We’d already seen so much darkness since I returned to Mystic Falls. I’d hate for these unicorn horns to lead to even more. I could do without more death and pain. We all could.
"Have you seen anything? Any leads on who might be behind this?" I asked, hoping for some shred of good news.
"Nothing." She shook her head, frustration clear in her eyes. "It's like they vanished into thin air. No traces, no signs. Nothing since those three."
"Great," I muttered. Three hornless unicorns and a mystery person out there somewhere wielding dangerous magic. Just another day in Mystic Hollow.
I leaned back in my chair, arching an eyebrow at Beth as my mind slid to other dark things. "With all the madness going on, tell me you and Wade are keeping an eye out. The robberies around here..." Images of bruised faces and broken locks flashed through my mind, but I pushed them away. "You guys have to be careful."
Beth nodded, a serious look replacing her usual smirk. "We are, trust me. We're just tied up trying to crack this unicorn case. It's driving us crazy."
"I can't imagine." I gave her a sympathetic pat on the hand. "But you'll get it sorted. You always do." I paused, my mind sliding back to her and Wade. A mischievous grin spread across my face. "So, how are things with you and Wade? Any sparks flying?"
"Sparks?" Beth snorted, rolling her eyes. "More like waiting for a lightning strike that never comes."
Oh? Is that how it is? Somehow, I got the impression that Wade was coming on strong, and Beth was running for the hills. Had something changed?
"So, no… lightning strike?”
She groaned. "None at all. I’m just sitting here. Dry as a desert waiting for a storm.”
I was tempted to make a dirty joke, but I didn’t want to take it too far when she was finally opening up to me, so I let the whole "dry” thing go. I wouldn’t directly tell her I had suggestions on how to moisten her up. Instead, I’d dance around it.
