The rain fell in sheets, drumming against the windshield like a warning. Damian Cross tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched. Beside him, Zara tapped impatiently at her phone, barely glancing at the gloomy forest lining the deserted road.
"Seriously, Dad, why are we even going?" she muttered. "You hate Victor Sloane."
"He's my boss," Damian said through gritted teeth. "You don't say no to a billionaire who signs your paychecks."
Zara rolled her eyes, but before she could argue, something darted onto the road tall, white, glowing faintly in the headlights.
Damian slammed the brakes. The car screeched.
*Thud.*
Silence.
Damian and Zara sat frozen. Steam hissed from the front of the car. Slowly, they stepped out.
There, lying in the rain, was a creature unlike anything they'd ever seen. Horse-like. Pure white. Blood seeping from a wound in its side. And from its forehead *a horn.*
Zara gasped. "Is that…?"
"A unicorn," Damian whispered, stunned.
It lifted its head weakly, eyes glowing silver, then stilled.
"Dad… we killed a unicorn."
---
Zara knelt beside the unicorn, her hands trembling. Its flank rose and fell in shallow, labored breaths. Rain streaked her face as she reached out, heart pounding.
"Don't touch it," Damian said sharply, but she didn't listen.
Her fingers brushed the base of the horn warm, pulsing softly with light.
*Flash.*
A surge of energy rushed through her like lightning. Her breath caught. Visions wild forests, starlit skies, ancient voices flooded her mind. The unicorn's eyes locked onto hers.
She wasn't just touching it. She was *inside* something… deeper.
Pain. Grief. A warning.
Zara stumbled back, gasping. The unicorn let out a soft, musical sound half sob, half sigh and went still. Completely still.
She blinked, dazed. "It… it showed me things."
Damian pulled her back. "We have to go. Now. Before anyone sees this."
"But we can't leave it like this!"
"We don't have a choice. If Sloane finds out, he'll do more than fire me. He'll—" He stopped. Looked at the glowing blood seeping into the earth. "We tell no one. Understand?"
Zara looked back at the body, her chest tight. Something had changed. Inside her.
Something was still alive.
---
Zara stared at her trembling hands. They glowed faintly just for a second then dimmed. She looked at the unicorn again, its silvery eyes now dull, the magic in its horn fading like mist in the rain.
"Zara," Damian said, voice low but firm, "we didn't see anything. We hit a deer. Got it?"
Her eyes widened. "But Dad this was real. It showed me something. Like it *chose* me."
Damian exhaled, glancing down the road. "We can't risk it. Victor's people are expecting us. They can't know we were late, or why."
Zara looked back at the unicorn, lips pressed tight. "We have to bury it."
"Here? In the middle of nowhere?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she dropped to her knees, digging with her hands into the soaked earth. Damian sighed, ran a hand through his wet hair, then joined her.
It took nearly an hour.
When they finished, Zara placed a stone on the fresh mound. The rain had stopped. The forest around them felt still. Waiting.
As they drove away, Zara looked back one last time.
From beneath the soil, something pulsed faintly a rhythm matching her own heartbeat.
The bond hadn't broken.
It had *begun*.
---
They didn't bury the unicorn.
Damian had pulled her away just as she started digging, muttering something about time and being watched. Instead, against Zara's protests, he'd carefully lifted the unicorn's lifeless body surprisingly light and wrapped it in a tarp from the trunk. They slid it into the back of his black SUV.
"Are you insane?" she hissed. "We can't *bring* it with us!"
"We can't leave *that* in the open. What if someone finds it? Or takes it? We'll figure it out when we're off the island," Damian said, slamming the trunk shut.
The unicorn lay motionless, horn partially hidden, blood dried along its flank.
Zara sat the rest of the ride stiffly, her eyes constantly drifting toward the back of the vehicle, half-expecting it to rise.
But it didn't.
Until they got to the island.
***
Victor Sloane's estate was carved into the wild like a scar. Sleek glass walls, chrome rails, and cameras everywhere. A place that pretended to be a retreat but felt more like a cage.
While Victor greeted them, shaking hands and pretending to care, the SUV sat quietly parked near the guest quarters.
Then, just as Sloane turned to speak with other guests, the car shuddered.
Once.
Then again.
Zara paused mid-step. "Did you hear that?"
Damian turned sharply. The SUV rocked slightly just enough to catch the corner of his eye. A dull *thump* came from the trunk.
Then another.
Zara's heart jumped. "Dad…"
"I locked it," Damian muttered, moving quickly.
They reached the SUV just as the car gave a final *thud*.
Damian hesitated, key in hand. "Stay behind me."
He popped the trunk.
The tarp shifted.
Zara gasped.
Slowly, shakily, the unicorn's legs kicked out, pushing the tarp aside. Its sides heaved. Bloodied but breathing.
Its glowing eyes opened dim but alive.
"It's not dead," Zara whispered, stepping forward.
The unicorn let out a weak, broken sound. Its horn pulsed faintly, and she felt the connection again stronger, deeper. It had *healed*. Somehow. Because of her?
Damian stared, frozen. "That's not possible."
Zara moved closer, ignoring him. "It's okay," she said softly to the unicorn, "You're safe."
But even as she said it, a chill ran down her spine.
They were *not* safe
---
As the unicorn pushed open the tarp and stumbled out of the trunk, its legs shaky but determined, Zara's heart raced.
"It's alive!" she breathed.
But before she could step closer, sharp voices rang out.
"Stop! Don't let it get away!"
Victor's guards appeared suddenly, weapons drawn. The unicorn's silver eyes widened in panic as it darted from the car, stumbling onto the manicured lawn.
Bullets tore through the air *rat-a-tat-tat* echoing against the glass walls.
Zara shouted, "No! Stop!"
But the guards kept firing. The unicorn galloped awkwardly, its side torn again, weakening fast.
Damian moved to shield Zara, eyes wide with horror.
The unicorn collapsed behind a hedge, breathing ragged, eyes dimming.
One guard approached cautiously, gun still raised.
Victor appeared at the front steps, arms crossed, watching coldly.
"This creature is dangerous," Victor said smoothly. "We can't let it live. It's a threat to everything we're building."
Zara's fists clenched. "It's just scared. It doesn't want to hurt anyone."
Victor smiled thinly. "That's not for us to decide."
As the guards closed in, Zara stepped forward, voice trembling but firm.