The Incubus and the Unicorn

Sen scowled at the pantry, gold eyes narrowed with the force of his frustration. His claws clicked on the polished wooden counter top and he adamantly refused to drag them across the already scarred wood, no matter how good he knew it would make him feel. There were only so many times he could laquer the damn thing before it looked more like a cutting board than a counter.

Sighing, Sen finally reached up and pulled out a single bottle sitting on the bottom shelf. It was simply made, shaped from clay and painted until it gleamed black in the faint moonlight streaming through the nearby kitchen window.

And it was empty.

Setting the empty bottle on the counter top, Sen resumed his clicking, glaring at the bottle with a fierceness that seemed over done for such a simple piece of pottery. He knew what needed to happen now, but he was prepared to wait for as long as possible. Just like he always did. Far be it for him to ruin the tradition that began the very day he’d settled into his remote little cottage.

Growling under his breath, Sen pushed away from the counter and began to pace, glancing over once in a while to glare at the lone bottle. “Stupid bottle,” he muttered into the silence.

It didn’t matter that it wasn’t really the bottle’s fault that it had run out of its current contents. Sen just wanted something to blame for what he was going to have to do. Something he was forced to do every time the bottle ran out.

“Curses! This isn’t fair!” Whirling around in mid-stride, Sen reached out and snagged the bottle off the counter, striding quickly through his kitchen and out the back door before he lost his nerve. He’d waited before, and what he’d been forced to endure made him less than eager to experience that kind of agony any time soon. Give him a couple of months for the memories to fade and he’d be back to resisting for as long as possible.

Still scowling darkly, he strode down the small path he’d cut painstakingly through his own little garden, too moody to bask in the familiar glow of making something with his own two hands. He unlocked the gate locking the fence surrounding his property, knowing the meager fence wouldn’t stop anything that lived in the Black Wood forest if they really wanted to get in. But Sen had been determined to make a point of separating himself from the rest of the forest.

He’d moved into the forest to be left alone, and he had no qualms about getting his point across.

Not that a certain person cared about his wishes.

Sen’s scowl darkened and he shook his head, shoving thoughts about a certain person out of his mind. He’d come face to face with the man soon enough, he didn’t need to think about him now. Besides, knowing the bastard, just thinking about him would summon him out of the dark trees that Sen even now trudged through.

Moving with deceptive ease, Sen gradually slowed his pace as he maneuvered the twisted and gnarled trunks, the light from his cottage fading into the distance. Even as pissed off as he was now, he knew better than to go charging blindly through this forest. There was a reason humans spoke about this place in fearful whispers, eyes wide with fear as they recited old horror stories about the many creatures that haunted the Black Wood.

Sen snorted. Of course, that didn’t stop the foolish ones from trying to venture through the ancient trees. Another might call the human daring enough to try a brave soul, but Sen was not so charitable. A human wandering through this forest after dark was just begging to be eaten or torn apart. The same could be said for during the day of course, but humans had much better things to do in the middle of the day than go trudging through haunted forests in search of fabled monsters.

Multiplying for one. The nasty little buggers were even worse than rabbits. At least rabbits had a short life span. A human could live up to eighty or ninety years before being decent enough to drop dead, and they usually spent most of that time being a pain in the ass, or adding to the population.

The rumors about the Black Wood had been one of the reasons Sen had chosen the place as his home. At least here he could be left alone to live his life in peace in whatever way he chose. Or so he’d thought. He’d been quickly abused of that notion shortly after moving in.

Once again Sen banished a certain person from this thoughts. He refused to think about that arrogant bastard. He spent too much of his time trying to avoid the man in the first place, he refused to let the insufferable prick stalk his thoughts too.

Sen slowed as he approached an open meadow, coming to an abrupt halt to remain within the cover of the trees, staying firmly ensconced within the shadows. His golden eyes surveyed the meadow stretching out before him, viewing the grazing creatures just beyond with a weary mix of awe and annoyance.

No matter how many times he made this trip, he couldn’t resist the chance to stop and look. Moonlight painted the long grass in gleaming shades of white that shimmered and rippled with every puff of air. The deep silence created a music of its own, carrying with it the soft whisper of nature’s secrets. A world of shadow was revealed to contain a beauty so pure as to make even one such as him want to weep at the mere sight of it. One would think he would have gotten used to the sight by now, but it never failed to make his chest ache with the sheer beauty of it all.

His lips curled into a faint smile. He didn’t feel too bad. Unicorns had that effect on almost everybody.

One of the creatures grazing nearby snorted and lifted it’s head, mane shining like liquid silver beneath the moon’s gentle touch. A large brown eye shifted towards him, and for a long moment Sen met the unicorn’s gaze. He knew he was just the right amount of distance to keep from agitating the mare with his presence. The moment was broken when the mare snorted and returned to her grazing, using her long horn to nudge aside a long tuft of grass in search of more tasty roots.

Smirking, Sen allowed his gaze to travel over the rest of the herd grazing nearby, pausing long enough to peruse the group of young colts that slept nearby under the fierce watch of one of the mares. Hence the reason he kept his distance. As much as the myths and fables portrayed the unicorn as a gentle beast drawn to pure souls, they were still living creatures and would kill to defend their young. As long as there were young colts, those living in the Black Wood knew to give the meadow a wide berth. Not that they went traipsing through the meadow when there weren’t any colts. The denizens of the Black Wood were blood thirsty, not retarded.

He admired the way the moonlight slid over the unicorns’ shining coats. Human legends spoke only of unicorns that were pure white, but that just showed how stupid humans were. Instead their coats varied from white as pure as freshly fallen snow to a dappled grey. Yet no matter the color, all the unicorns glowed beneath the moon, lighting up the meadow the way the stars lit the sky overhead.

Sen could still remembered the first time he’d glimpsed the field and the herd of unicorns that called it home. His schemes to use the unicorn’s and their power had faded beneath the shock of actually seeing them before his eyes. There was no way he would ever be able to even think of harming them. Even if it did cost him in the end.

His mouth tightened, the enjoyment fading from his eyes as his gaze darted about the meadow, searching for a familiar figure. Unable to spot the one he was looking for, Sen was unappeased. He knew from long experience that just because the bastard wasn’t in the meadow didn’t mean he wasn’t in the area. Most likely he was lying in wait for the chance to catch Sen off guard. He’d managed it often enough that Sen no longer trusted his heightened senses.

Allowing himself only a moment longer of watching the herd, Sen set off once again, refusing to admit to even himself that his pace was a tad bit quicker. Clutching the bottle tightly, he wove between the trees, the shadows darkening as he left the shining meadow behind.

The trees grew steadily closer, growing more twisted and bent the further he walked. Knowing he was close to reaching the very center of the Black Wood, Sen once again slowed his pace, eyes darting back and forth as he attempted to pierce the lurking shadows for enemies lying in wait. Even he knew better than to boldly walk through such an ancient place. His ears picked up the faintest creak of moving wood over the sound of his passage, and Sen felt the tell tale prickle along the back of his neck that said he was being watched.

Sen did not stop walking, nor did he turn his head even a fraction. He knew he was being watched. The trees had little else to do but watch those that dared to walk amongst them. If he were a tree he’d probably be watching himself too.

He hesitated as he saw a flicker of light in the distance, then continued, his stride quickening as he reached his goal. Gradually the trees thinned, and this time instead of a meadow he came upon a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing were four weeping willows, their long branches concealing what lay within the circle of their long branches.

Sen halted just outside the curtain of leaves, turning to pin the surrounding shadows with a fierce glare. He knew he was out there somewhere. The bastard had gotten quite canny when it came to guessing when Sen would need to take his next trip, and always made a point of showing up, whether it be before or after reaching the Guardian Willows.

Snorting, Sen gently brushed aside the willow’s branches, the soft leaves caressing the skin of his hand before falling away. Safely ensconced within the willow’s drooping branches, Sen approached the trunk with reverence. Reaching for the belt he wore to secure his tunic, he pulled a simple knife from its sheath at his back. It was too small to cause much damage if he was attacked, but it was suitable for cutting away dead leaves from his plants. Or causing a small cut.

Sen didn’t even flinch as he flicked the tip of the blade across the center of his palm, smelling his blood the moment it hit the air. Around him the curtain of leaves shuddered, swaying to the force of an invisible wind. Lifting his hand, he pressed it palm first against the rough wood of the trunk. The moment his skin met rough bark his hand began to tingle, the tickling sensation gradually traveling up his hand and past his wrist.

He waited a moment before pulling his hand away. Lifting his hand he spared a glance at the cut he’d made, unsurprised when the flesh of his palm was whole and unbroken. Putting his palms together, he bowed to the tree, the thick braid he’d fastened his hair into falling over one shoulder. The strands of palest lavender, it gleamed against the drab cloth he preferred to wear on a day to day basis.

“In exchange for the use of the Magic Spring, I give to you the taste of my blood, rich with magic and long life.” His voice was low, a bare whisper of sound that carried an echo of magic as the pact he had created years ago was satisfied.

He repeated the ritual to the other three Guardian Willows before daring to step out from beneath the shelter of their branches. For such a powerful spring, the one he gazed down into was surprisingly understated. It was big enough for a grown man to sit in should he ever be daft enough to do so, and surrounded by small stones engraved with symbols that the eye refused to focus on, constantly sliding away.

More than once Sen had tried to see how far down the water went, only to have his eyes waver and water before he was forced to look away. In the end he simply resolved never to see how far down it went. Kind of like making sure never to ask the old harpy that lived near the oak grove how old she was.

Sen moved to kneel beside the small spring. The water shimmered before his eyes, a rainbow sliding just beneath the surface before shattering into a million pieces. At first it had unnerved him when he realized that the spring held no reflection of the open sky above. But he’d since learned that magic did not deign to follow the rules of nature, choosing instead to make its own way. He sympathized, considering his own choices recently.

Removing the cork from the bottle he’d brought with him, he slowly lowered it into the ever shifting water, careful to make sure none of the shining liquid touched his bare skin. Once he was sure the bottle was full he slowly lifted it from the spring, carefully dropping the cap back into place before pressing it down firmly, effectively sealing the contents. Only then did Sen allow himself a full breath, no longer afraid of spilling any of the precious liquid.

“You can’t keep this up forever, Sen.”

With a startled gasp, Sen whirled around, the bottle nearly sliding from his grasp before he tightened his hold on it, holding it to his chest protectively. “What I do is none of your damn business, Kalor,” he hissed. He rose to his feet, voice haughty as he glared at the intruder. “Don’t you have anything better to do than stalking me?”

A man stepped passed the curtain of willow branches, tilting his head as he studied Sen’s stiff posture with gleaming eyes. “What you are doing is foolish.” Kalor said grimly, ignoring Sen’s question. He absently brushed a strand of black hair from his face, sweeping it behind one pointed ear.

“Oh really?” Sen crossed his arms, eye brow lifting as he tilted his chin defiantly. “What exactly am I doing?”

“Denying your nature.” Kalor took a step closer. “What you are is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I’m not ashamed,” Sen snapped, tightening his hold on the bottle. Realizing what he was doing, he forced his fingers to loosen. Spilling the Spring water on himself would be a very stupid thing to do. “And stop following me. I thought I made it clear that I don’t appreciate your company.”

A glimmer of humor flickered in Kalor’s silver eyes, and his mouth twitched as the man fought a smile. “What can I say, hope springs eternal.”

Sen scowled at the man’s rejoinder, wanting desperately for him to go away. He’d known from the first time they met that the stupid unicorn would be trouble. He sighed silently. If only he’d known just how much trouble. Then he might have chosen not to live here.

A flicker of color out of the corner of his eye drew his attention to the Magic Spring, and Sen dismissed the thought. Of course he would have chosen to live here. It was only in the Black Woods he had the ability to live the life he’d always dreamed of. Now all he needed was for the stupid unicorn to leave him alone and all would be perfect.

It didn’t help that the bastard had to be so damned beautiful.

Standing at six foot five, Kalor stood almost a full foot taller than Sen, and had a deceptively strong build that was filled with wiry strength and blinding speed. Long black hair rippled over wide shoulders and stopped at the back of the man’s knees, framing a pale face with gleaming silver eyes that glowed against the back drop of his white skin and black hair. The small, opalescent spiral horn in the center of his brow only added to the man’s beauty, instead of making him look freakish.

Sen forced his hands to stay by his side as he fought the compulsion to touch his own horns. Unlike Kalor, he had two, and instead of being a shining white, they were black as pitch. They were small, starting just above his ear they swept back and up into delicate points. All Incubi had them, one of their more obvious features. Their tails and claws being much easier to hide.

As a unicorn Kalor should have been going out of his way to avoid Sen, but the contrary bastard just kept coming back.

“Yes well, my temper does not,” Sen returned acidly. “So do me a favor for once and leave me alone. I don’t feel like dealing with your idiocy tonight.” Not when he could feel the familiar creeping hunger drawing a tight knot low in his belly. He thought of his cabin with longing, thinking only of drinking his required dose then curling up beneath his blankets as he let the Magic Spring water go to work.

Kalor’s humor faded, leaving him grim once more. “I find it ironic that you continue to call me the idiot, when you’re the one who is resorting to such extreme methods.” He nodded at the bottle that Sen held. “As I said, you can’t keep doing this forever. Soon even that will not be enough.”

Sen pushed away the cold fear Kalor’s words inspired. “Leave. Me. Alone.” His voice sounded odd when he spoke with his teeth clenched tight. “I don’t want or need your meddling. I’m fine on my own.” Scowling at the unicorn, Sen brushed by him, intent on reaching the safety of his cabin and locking the door behind him. He was getting sick of having to deal with this every time he came to the Magic Spring. He had enough problems without some stupid unicorn who seemed determined to meddle where he wasn’t wanted.

He didn’t bother glancing back as he shoved through the willow branches, knowing from the familiar tingling at the back of his neck that Kalor was following. Gritting his teeth, Sen resisted the impulse to spin around and yell at the unicorn. It wouldn’t do anything. Kalor would just watch him with those serious silver eyes, or even worse, smile warmly and murmur some innuendo that sounded positively obscene coming out of a unicorns’s mouth.

“You can ride me if you want.”

Sen’s mouth fell open, and he stumbled, catching himself against a nearby tree. Shoving lavender strands of hair out of his face, he gaped at the unicorn. “What did you just say?”

Kalor quirked a brow. “I am offering you a ride home, Sen.” Then his eyes gleamed with mischief, even as his face remained impassive. “Although, if your willing I can offer-”

“I’m not listening!” Sen shook his hard enough to make his braid whip up over his shoulder and around his neck. He glared at the unicorn. “Just go away.”

“You’re just going to have to put up with me a little longer, Sen.” Kalor moved past the incubus, deliberately brushing his arm against Sen’s. “The meadow is in this direction after all.”

Hating the way his cheeks heated at the unicorn’s reminder, Sen huffed, waiting a few moments before following after the unicorn at a slower pace. He’d only been walking a few moments when, to his horror, he found himself absolutely fascinated by the play of moonlight over Kalor’s hair. It swayed back and forth with every step the man took, and Sen’s fingers ached to touch the silky mass, to press his face against the cool strands and see if they really did feel like silk.

Sen tore himself away from his thoughts with a growl, the knot in his belly gradually drawing tighter. Heat danced and shimmered just beneath the skin, and he cursed his reaction, cursed his heritage. It wasn’t fair. Who the hell had decided that an Incubus needed sex to survive? Whatever god had decided that little feature was in for a world of pain once Sen got his hands on him.

He was startled from his dreams of torture when he bumped into a warm body, reaching out instinctively to clutch at Kalor’s waist to steady himself. Sen glared up at the smirking Kalor. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Reaching up, he slipped a strong hand behind Sen’s neck, drawing his face closer. “If you wanted a kiss so badly, you could have just asked.”

“I don’t want a kiss you-” His retort was cut off by Kalor’s warm mouth, his lips moving over Sen’s with teasing lightness. Instead of devouring his mouth like Sen had guessed he would, Kalor kept the kiss light and gentle, exploring rather than invading. In spite of his resolve to resist, Sen found himself drawn in by the soft kiss, hands tightening their hold in the folds of Kalor’s tunic as he drew him closer. He moaned as one of Kalor’s hands slid into his hair, tilting his head back and slowly deepening the kiss until all Sen could think of was the scorching heat of the unicorn’s mouth.

A weak sound escaped between his swollen lips when Kalor finally retreated with one last gentle nip, and Sen refused to contemplate how close it had sounded to a whimper. Instead he settled on clearing the fog of heat and need out of his thoughts, blinking slowly as he tried to remember something important. A voice was screaming in the back of his mind, and he was finding it hard to understand when he was staring up into a pair of hungry silver eyes. He wanted to concentrate, he really did, but the knot in his belly had tightened until his arms and legs were awash with tingles, bordering on pain and pleasure. Something in him had sharpened, stretching beneath his skin as it reached for Kalor’s pulsing heat.

Sen came back to himself with a snap, blinking as he realized his mouth was barely a hair’s breadth from Kalor’s. Confused, he tried to speak, but was stopped when the sensitized skin of his lips scraped against the pads of Kalor’s fingers. Realizing what had happened Sen shoved himself away with a snarl, stumbling as he tried to remember how to use his legs. “You’re a fucking bastard!” He flinched when pain pierced his bottom lip. Reaching up he touched his lip, the tips of his fingers coming away wet with blood. When he attempted to lick the blood away, his tongue met a smooth intrusion. Sen growled when he realized his fangs had lengthened.

Gathering his torn dignity about him like a worn cloak, Sen glared at Kalor, all too conscious of the pressure of his fangs against his lower lip. “Are you happy with yourself? You push yourself on me, and when I finally respond you stop. You’ll have to forgive me if I’m somewhat confused.”

Kalor made no attempt to calm the incubus, merely shrugging lightly. “When I finally have you, I want you to come to me of your own free will. Not because I seduced you into it.”

Sen gaped at the unicorn, then scowled. “You are a prick.” Spinning around on his heel, Sen stalked away into the shadows, his cloak billowing out behind him like a par of wings.

Kalor watched him go, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Next time, little demon. Next time.”

Storming into his kitchen, Sen made straight for the counter, slamming the bottle down with abusive strength. That the bottle didn’t crack from the abuse was as much a miracle as it was magic. Not just any bottle could hold water from the Magic Spring. Hands shaking, Sen reached for one of the simple cups he kept in his cupboard. His fingers had barely touched the desired cup when his fingers gave a particularly sharp spasm, sending the cup tumbling onto the counter and from there the floor.

Clenching his teeth around the strangled whine building up in the back of his throat, Sen braced his hands on the counter, his muscles twitching and seizing as need clawed at him. Heat radiated off his face and arms, a mere echo of the raging inferno that resided just below the belt, his cock hard and leaking. It took every ounce of self control he possessed, and then some to keep from grinding his erection against the counter.

In the end it didn’t matter what he did. It wasn’t simple need that rode him, it was Hunger. His kind did not feel hunger the way other creatures did, instead feeding off others and their magic by sleeping with them. It was not hunger for food that he felt but hunger for magic; for power.

“Damn you, Kalor!” Sen groaned audibly as an image of the unicorn flashed across his mind’s eye, bringing with it a wave of lust that threatened to shred what little self-control he had left. Pulse pounding strongly against his neck and wrists, Sen scrambled for a new cup, half mad with fear and desire. He needed his dose and he needed it now.

He managed to grab a new cup without losing his grip on it, pressing it against the counter-top as if afraid that it would attempt to escape. Taking a deep breath, he uncorked the bottle, ever so carefully measuring the shining liquid into the cup. Once he had measured out the dose he had found worked the best, he corked the bottle and placed it on its customary shelf. Then, refusing to hesitate for fear he might lose his nerve, he knocked back the cup’s contents in one go.

The cup dropped from Sen’s nerveless fingers as he choked, the magical liquid hitting his stomach like a solid kick to the gut. Bent over, he clutched at his stomach, wheezing as his body absorbed the rush of magic with greedy delight. He knew he shouldn’t have tried waiting so long before he refilled the bottle. It made his body’s reaction when he finally fed far more violent, almost agonizing in its relief.

When the effects finally faded, Sen was left panting and shivering, bracing his body weakly against the counter. Slowly straightening, he ran a hand through his hair, wrinkling his nose as he felt the sweat that had collected on his forehead. “A bath is definitely in order.”

Shrugging off his cloak he hung it up on the wall, moving down the short hallway that led to his bedroom. His cabin was small, perfect for living alone. It had only a single room and a kitchen, and well as a small wash room that suited his needs perfectly. The tub was large, a small concession to Sen’s guilty pleasure. Now he wanted nothing more than to luxuriate in his tub and pretend the world didn’t exist.

Especially a stupid unicorn that didn’t know how to keep his hands and his lips to himself.

After a quick hour of fetching water from the small well located in the garden, Sen had his bath, a quick flash of magic heating the water to steaming perfection. Tossing his clothes every which way, he stepped into the tub, sighing as he lowered his lean form into the water. Eyes sliding closed in bliss, he leaned his head back against the side of the tub, lowering his head until the water lapped at his chin. “Mmm, this is the life.”

A few tugs loosened the string binding his hair in place, setting the lavender strands loose to float around his head. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he rested his toes on the edge, wiggling them back and forth until they resembled worms instead of appendages.

His kind thought him a fool.

Sen lowered his eyes, unable to fend off the old twinge of hurt that thought still managed to drag up. He didn’t blame them, not really, but it still hurt to be considered a fool. To them he was a freak who delighted in being difficult. Of course he did delight in being difficult, but that was beside the point. He was not a freak.

Taking a deep breath he submerged his head completely under the water, taking a moment to enjoy the burning force of it against his face. Slowly, inch by inch he lifted his head above the water. He blinked as a bead of water trailed down his forehead and along the bridge of his nose. In a way, he supposed he understood why the others had thought him a fool.

It wasn’t every day an Incubus decided they didn’t like sex. The very idea was preposterous, considering it was their method of eating. They still ate solid food of course, but feeding with sex was more about feeding the magical than the physical. An Incubus not liking sex was like a bird not wanting to fly, or a fish not liking to swim. Impossible.

Until Sen came along.

Leaning over the edge of the tub he grabbed a small bottle of sweet oil, pouring a generous amount in his palm before setting it aside once more. Rubbing the oil into his hair he smoothed his hands along the length of it, shifting up onto his knees to keep it out of the water. He dragged his fingers through his hair, combing the oil through each strand to bring out the full effect. It was more than vanity that led to such up keep. His hair was one of his greatest possessions. None of his kind had the soft lavender of his hair, instead varying from pale blonde to darkest black.

Once his hair had been sufficiently lathered, he dunked his head, shaking his head back and forth to wash out all the soap. Grabbing a plain soap bar he proceeded to wash his body. His washing complete, he proceeded to lounge in the water, piling his hair on top of his head to keep it out of the soapy water.

Closing his eyes he could hear the sweet sound of distant bird song through the cracked window overhead. Proclaimed out cast by his kind for his outlandish decision, he had wandered for decades, never finding a place that he could truly call home. Then he’d found Black Wood forest, and all his dreams had come true. His ultimate decision to leave the unicorn’s alone had changed nothing. There were no Incubi, no humans, and most important, there was the Magic Spring.

It was quite by accident he’d even discovered a way to go without sex. Before, it had merely been a dream, forced to fuck humans and magical creatures alike in order to feed. But then one day in his wanderings he’d fallen into a spell left by a past magician, the silly bastard not even bothering to take it down. Sen had been traveling remote paths, and hadn’t fed in almost two weeks. He had been quickly reaching the point where he would turn feral if he didn’t find something to feed off of soon.

Getting caught in a random spell had certainly made his bad day so much better.

He had remained caught for two days, until the madness finally overcame him. Thinking back, Sen couldn’t remember much, only his emotions being strong enough to pierce the devastating hunger that had descended upon him. Fear, hunger, desire, need, fury. They had ripped through him until all he could do was claw at his own skin in a mad attempt to stop the endless need.

Sen didn’t know how he had managed it, only that he’d awakened curled up on the ground, the spell gone, and his hunger sated. It had only occurred to him later that he had devoured the spell itself, feeding directly on the magic that powered it. Thus Sen had learned that Incubi could feed directly on magic itself.

Feeling his skin begin to prune, Sen got to his feet, water cascading around him as it rolled off his skin. Grabbing a soft towel from the nearby stool, he stepped out of the tub, rubbing himself down with quick economic movements. Once he was sufficiently dry, he tossed the towel aside. Striding down the hall stark naked, he headed for his room, enjoying the feel of his wet hair sliding against his bare back. Being an Incubi didn’t exactly foster one’s modesty. After a while being naked felt more natural than actually having clothes on.

Sen didn’t bother getting dressed. Eyelids growing heavy as his body decided a nap was in order, he dragged his body to the bed, digging beneath the covers to reach the silky softness of the sheets. He’d settled into the fluffy comfort of his pillow when he abruptly sat up, scowling at the growing water stain his hair had left behind. Too tired to run back to the bathroom to fetch his discarded towel, Sen merely piled his hair on top of his head, finding it easy to ignore the dampness when sleep called him away to the land of dreams.

If he was lucky, he wouldn’t dream of black unicorns and wicked kisses.