Lesson 6 Unicorn Care 101

The spaceship wasn"t as big as I"d expected. I found several unused bedrooms, some with bunk beds like on an actual ship, until I walked down some steps and into a large hangar. I assumed this would be used for storage, but right now, it was almost empty. The only occupant was the unicorn, lying on a huge red rug in the centre of the hangar. An empty trough stood on one side, while an assortment of brushes and other instruments was laid out on a small table. For a second, I wondered where the unicorn went to the toilet, then quickly pushed that thought from my mind. Unicorns were magical and I didn"t want to spoil that by thinking about practicalities.

An"tia whinnied softly when I approached. Now that I knew she was an actual unicorn and not just a horse with a stuck-on horn, I had even more respect for her.

"Did he abduct you, too?" I asked and looked up into her big, turquoise eyes. Then I remembered how I"d been sucked in the last time and quickly focused on her mane."Or did you come willingly? And are you an actual unicorn or just an alien animal that coincidentally looks like one?"

An"tia didn"t respond. Not that I"d expected her to. But for some strange reason, I thought she understood what I was saying.

With a snort, she picked up one of the brushes with her perfectly white teeth and held it out to me.

"You want me to brush you?"

She snorted again, as if to say, "obviously".

I was still intimidated by her size - and by her being an alien animal, not just a bog-standard horse - but I didn"t feel like she meant me any harm. I"d just have to stay clear of her hooves and her tail. And her horn, obviously.

I took the brush and held it out in front of me, letting An"tia decide where she wanted to be groomed. She pressed her neck against the brush, so I started with her mane. The hair was silky smooth and the brush glid over it easily.

"I wish my hair was as soft as yours," I muttered. "If you were human, I"d ask what kind of product you use. Does Bruin groom you every day? Does he wash your mane or is that unnecessary?"

An"tia huffed impatiently. I clearly wasn"t working fast enough for her. I was too small to reach the top of her head, but she lowered herself onto her knees before I could even ask. Clever unicorn. When I brushed her between her ears, she whinnied happily.

"You like that, huh? Do you want me to keep the ribbons in or remove them?"

"Keep them," a voice said from behind me.

I whirled around, holding the brush like a weapon. Bruin had entered the hangar without me noticing. He slowly held up his hands, as if motioning to a frightened animal.

"I come in peace. Thanks for grooming An"tia. I haven"t had time yet for her second brushing session."

"Second?"

"Aye, I already groomed her for over an IG hour this morning before we continued our search for you."

He stopped, an uncomfortable expression replacing his easy smile. He"d said something he"d not intended to voice.

"Search for me? Me specifically?" The anger that had only just abated returned with full force. "You didn"t just abduct me, you also stalked me?!"

"It"s not like that," he started, but I cut him off.

"I don"t know what I"m even doing here. Grooming a unicorn while I should be trying to get home. Are you going to bring me back to Earth?"

An"tia nudged the small of my back, but I ignored her. I didn"t want to lose my fury again. Her peaceful presence had made me forget for just a moment that I was a captive here. That I"d been taken against my will. I wouldn"t let her distract me from my righteous anger.

"No," he said softly. Was that regret swinging in his melodic voice, or did I imagine that? "I'm sorry. I can't."

The bastard actually looked apologetic, which only made me angrier.

"Why not?" I snarled. Anger was burning in my veins and I felt like hitting something. Or someone, if a certain alien got in my way.

"Because I can't. You are… I need you."

"Need me? For some experiment? Are you going to probe me?!" I sounded hysterical, but I didn't care. I had a right to be furious.

"Nothing like that," he said, still calm as a purple cucumber. "I have to study how you react to An'tia and if you start believing in her existence."

I turned to look at the unicorn, then back at Bruin. Confusion warred with anger. "Are you saying An'tia isn't real? Am I hallucinating? Oh fuck, are we not in space at all? Is this some kind of drug-induced trip?"

"No, you got it all wrong." Bruin sounded just as confused as I felt. "She's real, as real as you and I. If I promise to explain everything, will you calm down?"

"I will calm down if you promise to take me home," I snapped.

"I can't make that promise. But you might change your mind once you know the truth. Calm down, please?"

His soulful dark eyes were begging me to listen to him. Fuck that man. I couldn't just give in. Although would it really hurt to postpone my next angry outburst and find out what was really going on?

"You have five minutes," I said coldly.

"Do you mind if I join you in grooming An'tia? Her horn needs polishing."

I was very tempted to say no, but I also didn't want to go anywhere near the unicorn's sharp horn.

"Go ahead, but don't you dare touch me."

He smiled and took a cloth from the table. I kept some safe distance between us and started brushing An'tia's hind quarters. Grooming her gave me something to focus on that wasn't related to Bruin.

He stayed silent for a minute while he gently ran the cloth over her horn. An'tia seemed to enjoy it. Could a unicorn like someone who was evil? All the legends said that they were attracted to innocent virgins, but it was possible the myths got it wrong. Maybe space unicorns liked rogues and rebels instead of virgins.

"My sire is a professor at the Intergalactic University," Bruin began slowly. He didn't look at me, instead preferring to focus on An'tia. "He researches Peritans - humans, that is. I am a stabhorn tamer. A rather successful one, actually. Not long ago-"

"Stabhorn?" I interrupted. "Is that what you call An'tia?"

"Yes, she's a venom-tipped stabhorn, very rare. And she almost killed me. Stabbed me in the belly. The wound on its own wouldn't have been fatal, but in combination with the poison… let's just say I'm lucky to be alive."

I was tempted to step away from An'tia, now that she'd been revealed as a deadly animal, but that would have been admitting fear. I didn't want Bruin to think me weak.

"My medical treatment was expensive," he continued. "It got me into debt. Big debt. I would have lost everything, but then my sire offered me a way out. He read about the animals you call unicorns in your Peritan literature and was intrigued. Since I know all about stabhorns, he sent An'tia and me to Peritus. Our mission is to study Peritans' reaction to her and whether they believe that she's a unicorn or not. My sire thinks that will lead to other critical conclusions about Peritan behaviour and thought processes. While we travelled your world, I took notes and did some recordings that my sire can analyse. But he also asked me to abduct one or more Peritans to do a more in-depth study with."

"Me," I gasped. "You said you weren't going to probe me."

"I have no intentions of probing you. Unless you so desire." He gave me a cheeky grin that caused a totally inappropriate flutter in my belly. "I have heard it can be very pleasurable."

I ignored that comment. "So your father wants to see how I react to An'tia. Well, here I am, brushing her. Is that enough? Can I go home now?"

"No. He will want a lot more data. I will have to monitor your vitals while you interact with An'tia. He's also given me a list of questions to ask you. And he might have other tests for you once we arrive on Allopo."

"What happens after? Once you've done all your tests? Will you return me to Earth?"

"No." His refusal was absolute.

"Why not?"

He finally met my gaze. His eyes were smouldering flecks of coal. "Because you're my mate."