Chapter 14
A UNICORN HAS TO DO WHAT A UNICORN HAS TO DO
MORGAN
I strode across the lobby using the boring, practical steps I’d practiced with Violet.
Thinking about my cousin reminded me of our conversation. She’d tried to veto this change in plans, but she wasn’t here. She hadn’t met Nelson. She couldn’t understand how trustworthy he was without having talked to him face to face.
Because he was trustworthy. I was sure of it. I didn’t question my impulse to trust him. Not even a little bit. Now, if only Violet and Nelson could trust me the same way. Someday I would prove to them what a super amazing asset I was, but alas, that wouldn’t be today.
The little market from earlier was gone now, and only a few people lingered in the large space. Based on the raucous laughter and loud conversations coming from the pub, I figured everyone had relocated there. At least someone was enjoying a nightcap.
Cold air slammed into me as soon as I stepped outside. Wind and snow whirled around me and swept under the billowing fabric of my cloak. I shivered.
Oh, this was probably why cloaks weren’t a winter fashion item anymore. Well, that sucked.
But every problem had a solution. I’d figure it out.
Because I wasn’t ready to abandon my cloak-renaissance yet.
A detachable faux-fur lining might work.
Or one of those emergency rescue blankets.
Oh! That’d make the inside of the cloak shiny like a foil-wrapped baked potato.
I rather liked that idea. It didn’t have as much appeal as, say, a fuchsia-colored cloak, but if I had to put up with a black cloak, something fun on the underside would be the way to go.
The sun had set ages ago, so everything was dreary and bleak.
Even the lights in the parking lot gave off only a dull shimmer because of the heavy storm.
Their weak glow bounced off the gathering snow, making the parking lot appear eerie and otherworldly.
The mountains weren’t visible at all now, which was a shame.
Oh well, I wasn’t standing out here for the view. I was here for the limo.
I glanced around. It hadn’t arrived yet.
Sheesh. How long was this going to take?
Ticktock. Ticktock.
I shuffled back and forth. My toes were getting cold. Could I bounce? Or was that a no-go? I didn’t have Violet talking in my ear, but I was sixty percent sure that Rudy Tada wouldn’t hop around to keep warm.
Waiting.
Gah. This was so boring.
Still waiting.
I opened my mouth to catch snowflakes on my tongue, then quickly snapped it closed again because that was a little too much like having fun. And I wasn’t supposed to do that, was I? Why was it so difficult to pretend to be someone different?
At least no one was watching me. That was good, right? Because Nelson was convinced I was at risk. But honestly, merely existing felt like a risk most days. I sighed.
Then I groaned, because sighing sucked.
I flicked my long black cape. It swung in a delightful arc around my legs as I spun toward the door to search for Nelson. I smiled at the way it moved. When I got away from all these people, I was going to spin and spin and spin until my cape was really flying.
Then I remembered I shouldn’t smile, and I certainly shouldn’t have admired the way my cloak fluttered around me.
Where in the name of hooves and horns was Nelson and his bear friend?
I stomped like an ogre—no shimmies here, folks—to the other side of the entrance area so I could peer through the lobby window from a different angle.
My legs ached with the effort of stomping.
It took a lot of energy to clomp around all the time.
Unicorns pranced or trotted; we weren’t supposed to plod along like a Clydesdale.
Acting like a snooty mage was no fun at all, but a unicorn had to do what a unicorn had to do. If this was the price I had to pay to stay out of another cage, I could do it.
Because I couldn’t go back there. Never again.
Which brought me to my main worry. Why had the SC asked Nelson to come here for me? What did they know? My disguise was so good, I didn’t see how they could know I was Rudy Tada. But if not that, then what?
I resisted the urge to pat my wig to make sure it hadn’t moved and still looked fabulous.
I had to trust that it did. No one would notice a little wayward strand of hair, right?
Not touching my wig required almost Herculean effort.
My armpits still itched from my earlier lie too.
But if I gave in and scratched a little bit, it would just make everything worse.
I’d end up attacking myself all over, like a dog with fleas.
Great. Now I was itchier than before.
Wet wigs and lies were horrible companions. Ugh. I needed to stop thinking about all of this. If Nelson’s crystal didn’t work and I had to attend more of these things, I was going to splurge on a better wig.
Where was this limo? And where was Nelson?
Unicorns weren’t supposed to worry, but I hadn’t expected to be out here this long.
The blizzard wasn’t helping my mood. Sunshine and rainbows were nowhere in sight.
With the gusting wind, snow was piling up on the leeward side of the parked cars.
If it kept this up, it’d take a long time to dig everything out.
But that wouldn’t be my problem because, apparently, I was going to be in Willow Lake, wherever that was.
I did another gut check. And yep, my insides were still onboard with that plan.
I pulled my hood up over my wig and tilted my head down, which wasn’t a very Rudy-esque move, but my face was getting wet, and I bet the snow was washing away my makeup.
If one aspect of my disguise didn’t work, the rest might fail, falling away like toppling dominoes until I was standing out here exposing my unicorn-ness for all the world to see.
Nelson and his people needed to put some hustle in their bustles, as one of my nannies used to say, before this all went sideways. I really hoped he wasn’t delayed because someone caught him putting the tracker in a hunter’s pocket.
I sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. Panicking wouldn’t help.
I glanced at my wristwatch. It was another prop for my disguise, but I found it surprisingly helpful. Oh. I’d only been outside four minutes. I thought for sure it’d been at least forty-three.
Another minute ticked by.
I suppressed an irritated sigh and shuffled to the other side of the entry area.
I startled when I caught the gaze of a figure on the other side of the window. My reflection merged with their image through the window, obscuring the details of their features behind mine. But I could still see how their head tilted to the side as they studied me.
Then a slow smile stretched across their face, making their white teeth gleam.
Magic tickled my skin. Mages did this to each other all the time, the nosy so and so’s.
My uncle used to say that mages poked and prodded one another, trying to find out things that were none of their business, like dogs putting their noses where they shouldn’t.
My heart tripped over itself as the mage crossed to the door and stepped outside.
They murmured a couple of words I couldn’t quite make out.
Tendrils of their energy reached for me.
I swatted them away as I pinned the mage with my haughtiest look—and let me just say, it was spot on.
I’d practiced it in the mirror and everything.
“Are you going to sniff my ass next?” I asked in a sneering tone. Ha! I didn’t stumble over my words. I was getting so good at this whole nasty mage persona.
Giddy energy bubbled through me at my success, and I almost smiled. Oops. That would never do.
The mage yanked their magic back.
I did my best to meet his gaze straight on, ignoring how it made my insides all squirmy.
“Your magic is… unusual,” the man said.
“And your magic needs to mind its own business.”
“What kind of supe are you?”
I glared at him, hoping it’d mask my fear. Predator types picked up on things like that. If I showed fear now, it’d be like throwing chum in shark-infested waters. Or so I imagined. I’d never been to the ocean or a sea or even a lake that took longer than an hour to hike around.
I narrowed my eyes and prayed it came across as irritation, not panic. Shedding tears would be even more disastrous than smelling like fear.
A woman, a wolf shifter based on the fluid way she moved, approached from my right. Wait, where had she come from? She wore a hotel uniform, which had a dusting of snowflakes covering it. Maybe she was doing a perimeter check? I hoped she wasn’t out here because of me.
“Is something wrong over here, Godwin?” The wolf shifter lifted her nose and inhaled.
“Good. You’re here. Smell him, Judy. His magic… It’s strange,” the man said.
The wolf turned to study me.
“Mind your own business,” I retorted.
I spun on my heel and stomped my feet as I crossed to the other side of the entryway again. I desperately wanted to shift and gallop as far away as possible. And maybe skewer the nosy mage with my horn on the way by.
I wrinkled my nose. No, that would be too messy. And I wouldn’t want goopy gore on my horn. But I could still daydream about it, right?
“Hey,” the wolf said, chasing after me. “There’s no need to get huffy.”
Then she leaned in and sniffed me.
“Stop that.” I flicked her nose.
The wolf winced and took a step back, but she didn’t leave. She eyed me curiously. “He’s right, you know. Your magic smells weird. Sweet.”
I rolled my eyes while praying she couldn’t hear how fast my heart was pounding. “I ate caramels and taffy on my way here. Some wolf you are, if you can’t figure that out.”
More lies. I was going to have a bumpy red rash everywhere soon.
She wriggled her nose and shook her head. “I—”
“I don’t care what you have to say,” I said, cutting her off. “Leave me alone.”
I had to get away from them, so I stormed off into the… storm.
Ha! Get it? Stormed off? Storm?
Because I obviously couldn’t stick close to the hotel like this. I attracted too much attention. I’d watch out for Nelson and his friends from somewhere else.
I hoped the wolf got the message and stayed away.
Big, fat snowflakes slapped against me and ran down my face. My makeup must be a mess, and that was another reason to get out of here. I couldn’t let these strangers see under my disguise.
I scanned the parking lot for the entrance. If I stood over there, I could stop Nelson’s friend when he arrived. The snow was falling so heavily I could barely see where the break in the trees led to the road, but I persevered.
When I put my mind to it, I could do anything.
I wanted to scurry over there, but I forced myself to take slow, measured steps. Very Rudy Tada-ish. But holy Magic, it was painful to go this slowly.
Was the wolf still following me? I didn’t dare look behind.
I scuttled like a wraith through the other parked cars. The snow was surprisingly deep in some places, but I trudged on. I’d need to develop a whole new disguise after this weekend. I moaned because that sounded like a lot of work.
I’d need something to hide my scent better too. Market organizers usually banned cologne because shifters found it irritating, but there had to be something out there that would cover my scent. Maybe baking soda? Isn’t that what people put in stinky fridges?
The back of my neck prickled, and I knew I was being watched. Footsteps crunched through the snow behind me. I stumbled between two other vehicles and ducked down.
Then I scooted as quickly as I could between the cars, going in the opposite direction I had been walking, and counting on the blizzard to obscure my movements.
If someone had found my room, they probably knew which vehicle was mine too.
I wasn’t used to feeling this level of paranoia, but being captured and caged had messed me up.
By the time I leaned against a pickup truck to figure out my next move, I was panting. My gaze darted over the area. The vehicles I was crouched between had their noses pointed toward the woods at the edge of the parking lot.
Perfect. I could hide in the trees for a bit. It’d get me out of the wind and away from the worst of the snow until I confirmed if someone was out to get me.
I tiptoed toward the trees. I didn’t stop until I found a nice, fat trunk to hide behind.
Since I wore black, they shouldn’t be able to spot me too easily in the shadows, right?
And the snow was coming in quickly enough that my footprints were already filling in.
I crossed my fingers on both hands. If I could cross my toes, I’d have done that too.
“Did you find him?” someone asked. The words were muffled and scratchy, like they were spoken over a slightly out of tune radio. But it sure sounded like the wolf who’d been sniffing me at the hotel entrance.
“Not yet,” the man said. He sounded close. “You sure he didn’t go back inside? It’s freezing out here.”
They weren’t even trying to whisper or anything. That was worrying. Why weren’t they being sneaky? My heartbeats crashed through me faster than ever. Still, they might not be talking about me. Not everyone did.
“Tough shit. You know he didn’t go back. And quit whining. You fucking spooked him with all that ‘your magic is strange’ bullshit; now you need to find him.”
Well, fruit loops and pixie farts, it looked like they were looking for me after all.