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“Can we bring it home? Forget a cat. No one would mess with me if I had a unicorn by my side.”

My hand dragged down my face. “No, Cassia. We aren't bringing it home.” The unicorn leaned in even more, making the most of her strokes along the side of its face.

For fuck’s sake.

Her disappointment drifted towards me, but I wasn’t going to change my mind.

Suddenly, the animal kicked out its hind legs, and then turned, rearing up and swinging its head around. “Cassia!” I yelled at her.

She whirled around in panic as the horse screeched and I ran to her.

Then she fell.

CHAPTER 21

Cassia

Rolling over, I saw the beautiful creature’s hooves hovering over me. There was a light shimmer in the air around it, similar to what I’ve seen around Kiam and Lukas. Wondering why I could see it sometimes and not others, I dug my fingers into the ground, intent on getting away but then in a rush of wind, I was back by the tree line.

Lukas was pissed, his eyes burning green and black, and his jaw set as he glared at me. Maybe he had reason to be mad—this time. Worth it because there was no way I was going to miss the chance to pet a unicorn.

“Holy shit. A fucking unicorn.”

We both turned our heads at the strange voice. A man dressed all in black, with a fancy coat covered with embroidery, walked into the clearing. His gleaming black hair was longer than Lukas’s and I had to admit, the man was almost as beautiful. Almost.

“Zaynan,” Lukas growled. “If Cassia died, I would have pulled your entrails out through your mouth.”

The man scoffed. “You’re welcome to try. I can’t believe that was a unicorn. I heard they were all gone.”

Lukas’s eyes narrowed. “Were you following us?”

Zaynan smirked. “Maybe. I’ve been poking around. The two of you had a good day, haven’t you?”

My skin heated and I knew I was blushing. Just how much did this guy see? “Do you want me to kill him?”

Surprised that he was asking, I met Lukas’s gaze. “You’re asking me?”

I glanced at the other man, and his lips were pressed together, a few fingers against his mouth.

Lukas’s chest heaved. “No. I’ll let him live another day. That can be his punishment.”

The statement sobered Zaynan. “Yeahhhhh,” he drawled, “About that. Annalise formally requests your presence.” He ran his hand through his hair and then placed both on his hips. “She’s a whack-job.”

“You can say that again,” I chimed in.

He canted his head at me and twisted his lips. “My mother.”

I almost fell over. “What?"

He nodded, running his tongue over his teeth. “Yep. Lucky me.”

Lukas spoke up. “What does she want? Do you know?”

“It's not good, I can tell you that. She’s on a rampage.” He straightened his posture. “She wants me for my power and I’m not going to give it to her and... she’s pissed at you.”

Lukas stood there contemplating and staring into the distance for several seconds before he said, “Let’s go.”

He grabbed me, and in a whirl, we were suddenly back in the room. As many times as he’d relocated me this way, it still messed with my head. “Remember I asked you for a little warning the next time?”