by Wendy Knight
But Kylin wasn’t listening. Her eyes widened as she stared into the distance, and Trey’s heart stopped cold. He turned slowly, afraid of what he’d see, but Scout wasn’t locked in some passionate embrace with the ancient Greek war hero. Or whatever he was. Instead, she was kneeling on the ground, her face in her hands. Iros knelt next to her, talking. Trey was halfway across the clearing before he realized he was even on his feet.
“Scout? Are you okay?” he called.
Iros looked up, and Trey would swear relief flashed across his face. “Trey. She—”
“Ashra hates humans. For good reason.” Scout said dumbly, staring at the ground.
Trey frowned, blinking. That was not what he’d expected. “What now?”
Iros stood up, offering a hand to Scout. She took it without hesitation. There was no repulsion when she looked at Iros, like there was when she looked at Trey. Iros pulled Scout to her feet, offering his arm for her to lean on. He’s from another century. He’s from another century. Trey repeated over and over, but it didn’t matter. He’d lost Scout, he knew that, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t shattering his heart watching her with someone else. Since the accident, she’d been merciful that way, wanting nothing to do with any of the guys at school. Trey hadn’t had a reason to feel jealousy like this. He didn’t like it, but he deserved it. The pain was like a balm to his conscience, soothing the guilt as it tore at his heart.
“Ashra’s mate was killed. Her foal,” Scout shot a quick glance at Trey and he nodded, “died as well. Because of a human.”
“Because of my brother.” Iros’ voice was hard as he stared away from them.
Scout shook her head, honey-brown waves sparkling in the moonlight. Trey’s fingers ached to slide her curls across his skin. “He made the mistake, Iros. Not you. You can’t think you’re guilty by association.”
Iros sent her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Scout. You are definitely a soother.”
She raised her eyebrows, teasing. “Is that another breed of unicorn we haven’t met yet?” Trey remembered that trick. When Scout wanted to push the attention away from her pain, she’d tease, trying to lighten the mood. She really was a soother. How had he never noticed?
They stopped in front of the row of huts as Iros threw back his head and laughed. Trey just hurt. He couldn’t even force a smile. “You’re funny, little one. No, you’ve met all the breeds of unicorn that still exist. Black, Green, Blue, and the extinct Red unicorns.”
Scout frowned, shaking her head. “And white unicorns, of course. But I haven’t seen them here at all.” Iros’ eyebrows shot up, and Trey looked around, wondering if white unicorns were going to materialize out of the forest.
“White unicorns? What makes you say that?” Iros asked, amusement gone as he studied Scout’s face intently like he could pull the answers from her brain.
Kylin wandered over, picking her way carefully through the moss. “All the pictures show white unicorns. Of course there are white unicorns.”
“Not really.” Iros shook his head. “The white unicorns are extinct. They have been for hundreds of years. In fact, no one is positive they ever truly existed in the first place.”
“What was the white unicorn supposed to do?” Trey asked, glancing uncertainly from Scout, who seemed beyond confused, to Iros.
“White unicorns were known as Ecepas. They brought peace. Unfortunately, no one really wants peace. They say they do, but they look for reasons to be hurt or angry. They look for things to offend them while they pray for peace. With no one truly believing in them, the white unicorns died out. Or so the legend goes. I myself have never seen one. In fact, I haven’t even heard mention of them in,” Iros paused, thinking hard, “a very long time.”
“No,” Scout whispered.
“What?” Iros ducked his head and leaned his ear toward her.
Scout’s sea foam eyes swept up to meet Trey’s before she looked at Iros. “You said you’ve been watching Lil Bit. Why didn’t you see it?”
“See what? I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.” Iros glanced at Trey as well, like he hoped to find help there, but Trey was as lost as Iros was.
“Lil Bit’s unicorn was white,” Scout said.
Iros stumbled back, all the breath whooshing out of him like he’d been hit in the stomach. “Her unicorn… Are you sure?”
Scout nodded so hard her hair swirled around her face. “I…I saw her. Twice. Once in the hospital,” again she looked at Trey and away, “and once last week.”
“It can’t be.” Iros’ face took in the light around him, like a thousand years of pain had been relieved. “They exist. They’re still alive! Do you know what this means?” He grabbed Scout’s shoulders, shaking her lightly. “I’ve got to tell the others. They’re alive!” He crushed Scout to him in a brief hug and spun away, racing across the valley.
“Wow. That guy needs to get out more,” Kylin said.
Scout watched him go, a half-smile on her lips. “He said we needed to rest while we have the chance. If the soul stealers don’t attack soon, we’ll start training. You should get some sleep.” She nodded politely at Trey and gave a little wave toward Kylin.” Night guys.”
“Where are you going?” Trey asked, ignoring Kylin as she hissed behind him.
“I want to know what this means — the fact that the white unicorn is alive.”
Trey opened his mouth to tell her she would get lost. Or attacked by rabid unicorns. Or something, but she shook her head, narrowing her eyes just a bit.
With one last look over her shoulder at Trey, she jogged across the valley into the trees where Iros had disappeared.
****
Kylin passed the hut next to Scout’s and went into the fourth one down. “I don’t want to sleep anywhere near that crazy girl,” Trey heard her muttering as she went inside. Seconds later she reappeared in the doorway, hands on her hips. “These cots won’t hold us both. I’m not sure they’ll hold you at all.” She scowled. “Tell them to take us home, Trey.”
Trey sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He’d been fighting a headache all day, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept. “Kylin, I told you already why we can’t go back.”
Kylin’s face went an alarming shade of burgundy. “You just don’t want to stay with me because she’s here.” She marched forward, stumbling a little as her heels sank in the moss, to jab him in the chest. “I am getting sick of waiting for you to get over her, Trey.”
Trey wanted to deny it, but the way his eyebrows shot up in surprise, he didn’t think she’d believe him. He pulled her finger away from his chest, holding lightly to her hand. “I’m trying, Kylin. I’m really, really trying.”
Her face fell and she let her chin drop to her chest. “I love you, Trey. Why aren’t I enough?”
He could lie. He could tell her he loved her, too. She’d said it to him several times but he’d never said it back. He should say it back; maybe by saying it back it would make it true. But she didn’t deserve that kind of deceit.
“I don’t know. I wish you were. I pray constantly that you can be.” Unwillingly, his gaze dragged itself to Scout’s hut. “I would give anything to forget her.”
Kylin laid her head on his chest. “I know,” she sighed. “I knew you were still in love with her when we first hooked up. Everyone knows. I just thought I would be the one to make you forget.”
Trey stroked her hair, leaning his chin on her head. He felt closer to Kylin in this second than he had the entire time they’d been together.
“I’ll help you forget her, Trey. I’ll take you away from here, from everything that reminds you of her. And then I’ll be enough.” She raised her head, tears streaking tracks through her makeup. Rising on her toes, she kissed him gently on the lips, and then she went inside her hut, disappearing into the darkness.
Trey stared up at the sky, or what he could see of it. He hadn’t noticed the sun was gone until the moon came out, giving the entire valley
and surrounding mountainside an ethereal glow. “I just want peace,” he whispered. “I just want to forget her.”
But as he settled into his cot, surprised at its softness, he knew that wasn’t true. He didn’t want to forget her. He held as tightly as he could to every memory of her he had. If he wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life with her, if he only had memories, he couldn’t lose them.
He fought visions of Scout every single night, but tonight he was too exhausted. He was beyond grateful for the sleep that claimed him quickly.
Trey couldn’t have said what time it was or even if it was still the same night when he heard the screaming. He jerked up, his sluggish brain slow to remember where he was, and even slower to figure out what made the noise that had woke him or where it came from. When it did, he leaped up, tugging his shirt on over his head as he raced out the door.
The moss sank beneath his bare feet, silky and cold. He didn’t hesitate as he exploded through Scout’s doorway ready to kill whatever it was that attacked her.
There was nothing there but Scout, curled in a ball on her cot, sobbing. She opened her eyes as Trey came closer, but the sobs didn’t stop. “Hey. Hey, you’re okay. You’re safe.” Trey knelt awkwardly next to the bed unsure what to do that wouldn’t cause her to flinch away from him like he was one of those frogs that leak poison from their skin.
“I—I know,” she hiccupped. “But Lil Bit—” She broke down, burying her face in her hands as her whole body shook. He swore under his breath before pulling her down into his arms, cradling her against his chest while he rocked back and forth. She was the soother, not him. He didn’t know what to do or what to say. “If I could, Scout, I’d take your pain. You would never hurt again.” Did you seriously just say that? Do you know what she’s going to do to you now? You caused her pain, you idiot. Now she’s going to rip you to shreds.
But she didn’t. She just sobbed, leaning her head against his chest as tremors attacked her over and over. His arms gave out and he laid Scout on the floor, stretching out next to her and wrapping his body around hers, holding her tight against his chest, trying to keep her safe, to block her pain, anything. In the darkest hours of the night, her sobbing stopped, and she slept.
He lay awake until dawn, staring at the moon through the window, stroking her hair. He thought about her. He thought about his parents and his brothers. He prayed, harder than he had ever prayed before, that they were okay. That he would get to them in time. He imagined the conversation he would be having with Liam and Tate if they saw him with Scout. ‘Nice, dude. Way to get over her,’ Liam would smirk and Tate would throw something at him. Then they would both go eat because somehow they’d gotten it into their heads that the more they ate, the bigger they would get, and being bigger than Trey was a life goal for both of them. Now he didn’t know if either of them would ever get the chance.
Chapter Nine
Scout felt him before she was awake enough to realize he was there. Safe. Safe and warm and even though everything ached, her heart, for a brief second, didn’t. And then she had to admit she was conscious and that life still sucked. Lil Bit was still gone. Trey had still hurt her. Soul stealers were still out there stealing.
“Time to get up, Princess.”
Scout’s eyes flew open and her gaze leaped to each window, but Ashra wasn’t there. Her heart fell. She had hoped for a second that Ashra had forgiven her. Instead, she was apparently dreaming while awake, which didn’t make any sense.
“Just because I’m not peeping through your windows like a crazy horse doesn’t mean I’m not out here. Torz can’t be stronger than me. He’s practically a baby. Not even two hundred years old. Get your tail up. We’ve got training to do.”
Scout grinned. “I knew you’d come back.” She snaked her way out of Trey’s arms, careful not to wake him. He still slept soundly, eyelashes dark against his tan skin, and she forgot Ashra waiting outside. For just this moment, she allowed herself to not hate him, to love him and to watch him sleep. Her fingers, against her will, reached out, brushing against his cheekbone and down his jaw. He stirred, leaning into her hand, and she jerked it away. He couldn’t know. He could never know she still loved him. She’d die first. So she kneed him in the side. “Get up. They’re waiting for us.”
He gasped, his eyes flying open, and she pushed herself to her feet and stalked out. “I can’t just munch on grass, Ashra. I need food. Human food. Where do I get that?” she asked, thrilled beyond belief that Ashra waited a few yards from the hut, beautiful wings stretched against the breeze.
Ashra snorted, shaking her head, and for a second Scout forgot she was anything but a horse, shining in the sunlight. For just that second, her mane looked like real horsehair. But then her horn lit up, sparking flames, and the fire shot across the distance separating them, catching the grass on fire. “I am not a horse.”
Scout swore under her breath and looked for something to beat the fire out with, since she was shoeless.
Ashra whinnied and shook her head, motioning toward a smaller hut on the other side of Iros’. “He keeps human food in there.”
Scout glanced at the fire at her feet and raised an eyebrow. Ashra’s mane wisped over and smothered the flames.
“That is awesome,” Trey said, appearing in the doorway behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and resisted the urge to smile. He looked rumpled and gorgeous, running a hand through his short, dark hair.
“She’s got nothing on me.” Torz appeared like a dark wraith in the trees to the right of them, his horn glowing hot in the shadows. “If I wanted, I could start the whole place on fire and put it out without leaving any ashes behind.”
“Nice.” Trey grinned, disappearing into the small hut in search of food.
“Very impressive,” Ashra snorted.
“You two are up early.” Havik’s deep rumble echoed through Scout’s head before the magnificent commander of the unicorns even appeared through the trees. Trey emerged with his hands full of food. He dropped half of it in Scout’s lap.
“Hi Havik.” Scout waved once he had materialized from the deep shadows.
“Princess.” He tossed his head, chuckling.
Scout scowled at Ashra. “Really? This is my nickname now?”
Ashra stomped a hoof and said nothing. Torz meandered across the small valley, coming to stand next to Scout.
“What did you find out last night — about the white unicorns?” Trey asked, settling next to her on the grass, inching away from the burned patch.
“Not much. And it’s unicorn. Singular. They don’t believe there’s more than one.”
Trey shoved a roll in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Scout studied him covertly while he was distracted. “Yeah, but how do they know that? They didn’t know one existed.” He shrugged, waving his roll around like a magic wand. “There could be hundreds. Thousands.”
“There could. But consider this,” Havik interrupted. “It is easy to hide one unicorn. Or even ten, in a world this big. Hundreds would be detected. Thousands would be obvious.”
Trey thought about that, finally nodding. “Okay, I see that. So… what are you going to do with this new information? Hunt the unicorn?”
Ashra tossed her head, which Scout realized meant she was about to say something entirely too controversial. “You can’t hunt a white unicorn. If it hasn’t come to us, it’s because we didn’t ask for it. We, here in Paradesos, do not want peace.”
Iros chose that moment to stride out of his hut, effectively ending the conversation on Ashra’s cryptic little thought.
“Great, I’m glad to see you’re all here. We need to train as much as we can while the soul stealers recover from our attack.” Iros wore black gear that hugged his body, his scepter held in what looked like a sword’s sheath hanging low on his hips.
Training sounded a lot like school. Scout could do school. It was safe, comfortable. I got this.
“I want one of those.” Scout pointed. “Except can mine
have sparkles?” She batted her eyelashes and grinned. Iros, Trey and Havik all laughed. Ashra even snorted. Torz bumped her lightly with his foreleg, whinnying. She tipped her head back to smile up at him.
“Before we actually start fighting, we’ll explain how the magic works. Everyone, make yourselves comfortable.”
Kylin appeared in the doorway of her hut, blinking against the light. Scout had never seen her when she wasn’t in full makeup and dressed like she was about to step out of a fashion magazine. She was… cute. Not as intimidating and angry when she was sleepy and vulnerable. But then Kylin’s eyes landed on Scout and she scowled. Yeah, cute as a vampire bunny, Scout thought. Across the valley, Ashra tossed her head and stomped her feet, chuffing. “You can hear me, can’t you?” Scout narrowed her eyes, and Ashra slowly dipped her head. Scout looked at Havik and up again at Torz.
“They can’t hear you. Just me.”
Scout’s eyes widened. “How is that possible?”
“Dunno. Never happened with any of my other riders. And I’ve had a few over the last several hundred years.”
Scout turned on Iros. “Ashra can hear me,” she blurted.
Iros’ lips quirked and he raised an eyebrow. “Can she now?’
“Yes. But we haven’t bonded. How is that possible?” She stood up, dusting off the knees of her jeans, which was rather pointless since they were torn and covered in blood, mud, and horsehair.
“Unicorn hair.” Ashra shook her head, annoyed.
“Right, sorry.”
“Are you doing it now?” Iros asked, looking back and forth between them.
Scout nodded.
“Fascinating.”
Scout turned on Trey, trying to remind herself that she hated him, despite the fact that he’d spent the night protecting her from nightmares. “Can Torz hear you?”
Torz shook his head, chuffing in what Scout realized was laughter. She absently wondered if regular horses were also laughing when they made that noise.
