“I have never been so happy to see the backside of someone,” Londe muttered. Grif had flown away as soon as we’d finished separating out the goods we’d come out of the city with; she urged us to get moving too.
“Nothing like a pissed off vampire minus a few jewels and a night of hot, sweaty sexing after a meal of full-bodied blood to run you a few leagues and cities over until the heat dies down.” Still, she’d patted the bags she’d stashed in her ruff with a sly smirk. “Got some gambling games to get to anyway.”
“Gonna lose all those jewels in a heartbeat. Then she’ll be back at you to get some more,” Londe complained.
“Not happening. I only stole to save the foals. It’s not something I’m comfortable with doing; she knows that.” Grif’s morals were very flexible; if you were a friend, she’d bend over backward to help you. If you weren’t… you were fair game.
Never let a harpy get you in her sights with a hunt in mind; it would be very painful to either your body, or your coin purse, or maybe both.
“I’m sorry you had to do that.” Londe’s ears flicked back and forth unhappily. I leaned forward, resting against his mane to rub up and down his neck all the way to the base of his horn. I was happy to be back in my own body; it was so much easier to move, to lay against him.
Plus, barring a key into my scent, it would make us harder to track. I’d tried not to leave any evidence behind, touching as little as possible.
“It was the least of what I’ve done.” Which hurt to think about, really. Since I’d lost my horn, lost my unicorn form, I’d fallen so far. I’d failed to protect the young, and had been sullied, and the magic I’d accepted had been to help me get the foals back, not return to my former glory. I wasn’t sure, but that seemed lost to me now.
I didn’t know if I could go back. My mate had an innocence to him that even his time among the humans hadn’t quenched. Londe’s muscles tensed, and I tried to suppress my fear, guilt, and self-loathing. There were times when it hit me, but mostly, I focused on my quests.
We’d come so close and lost the foals before. I’d asked Londe to say behind the last time. This time… this time, we’d succeed. No negotiation, no attack, nothing but trade of like for like.
Red diamonds were nowhere near as precious as our foals, at least to us, but to the trolls they’d be a gleaming reward they couldn’t resist. Like burning coals firing their desires to own, to possess, to win.
But they’d pay first.
Freedom for the foals. I prayed they would be okay.
The rocking of Londe’s smooth trot rocked me to sleep, my fingers of one hand twined in his mane.
The cadence of his pace changed, darting sideways and then twisting left and right.
“Wha— Huh? Whas happening’? I asked groggily.
‘Something or someone was coming up behind us on the road,’ he murmured in my head.
I immediately answered him back the same way. ‘Did they see us?’
“Not sure. I don’t think so. You were snoring.’ His voice sounded slightly accusatory.
“I don’t snore,” I snapped under my breath.
“Uh-huh.” His ears flicked. ‘Hush.’ He switched back to our telepathic link.
We’d moved far enough from the road that hopefully no one would spot his white coat. I slipped from his back and inched through a few shrubs to get closer. My coloring and natural-dyed clothes would hide me so I could see who’d been following.
Humans? The vampire? A glance at the sky disabused me of that notion. I hadn’t been asleep long enough for night to have fallen for her to be free, not unless she was traveling by caravan. Resting a hand on the sheathe of my sword, I hoped that wasn’t the case. Our best hope lay in outrunning her and anyone else I’d pissed off.
I’d pissed off a lot of people and Beings.
Nothing like being angry, aggressive, and having very little to lose.
The first thing I heard was a jingle. Myriad bells with tiny metal balls inside them, joined by metal chains. The cacophony was sweetly singing, mixing with the voices rising and falling. Just who was it? Friend or foe?
Being or human? Or both?
I couldn’t be sure at this distance.
‘Who is it?’
‘Not sure, but there’s bells.’
‘Yes, I heard those. That’s why I left the road.’
‘I’m going close.’
Londe shifted restlessly. ‘No, don’t. It’s not safe.’
“Nothing ever is,” I said softly. Either this was one of the parties we feared, or something else. My heart started to trip so loud it covered the sound of the bells.
“Hello!” a small voice said brightly. “What are you looking for? Can I look too?”
“What in the depths of hell?” I jumped, stumbling over a vine, and fell onto my backside. I dropped a knife, barely held the sword, and I just know my mouth flopped open like a trout captured and thrown upon the bank to gasp in the air.
So attractive.
“What is the not-unicorn doing?” the tiny being asked Londe who was still frozen with one hoof up.
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