Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang Page B

tittered. “Told you.”
    “Beggars can’t be choosers. Besides, I never said I was a virgin.” I looked up at the cloaked figure from the corner of my eye, my face flaming. “And don’t think
you’ll
be getting him, even if you help.” It stared at me impassively, and then pulled back the hood of the cloak to reveal azure scaled skin and cat-slit eyes.
    An old-world daemon. Great.
    “We’ll see.” It smiled, revealing a frightfully large number of teeth. “If we have no maidens here, you’ll need a golden bridle. Or a jeweled snare,” it added helpfully.
    “What you need is to let that poor creature go.” A blond fae pushed her way to the front of the store. Her diaphanous wings quivered in indignation. She wore combat boots and a T-shirt proclaiming
Pave the Rainforest
.
    “Who are you?” I asked.
    “I’m Didi. Second in command of Pixies for PETA. And he’s
not
livestock. He’s a living, breathing being, deserving of your respect and compassion.” She crossed her arms. “I demand that you free him from his bonds of captivity.”
    “Right.” The urge to run screaming from the room bubbled up in my chest, tightly wrapped in a slight wave of hysteria. My eyes flicked toward the daemon. His grin became broader.
    “And what do
you
want him for?” I forced myself to meet the daemon’s eyes.
    His smile never wavered. “Bachelor party.”
    “I don’t even want to know.” I held up my hand before he could say anything else, my stomach churning at the thought. The pixie stomped her foot but I waved her off. “Enough. Let’s just catch him first.”
    “I refuse to be party to this . . .” She flounced away toward the back of the store in a swirl of pink glitter, followed by what appeared to be a cluster of chipmunks, jeweled beetles, and one very confused baby seal.
    “All right, come on then.” I scrambled forward. “Oh, no you don’t.” The unicorn edged away, his tiny hooves scraping over the floor. My hands slid over fur as soft as dandelion fluff, his silken muscles bunching madly as he squirmed. “Gotcha!”
    A low ringing echoed through my ears, strangelysubdued, my limbs vibrating as though something snapped into place. Immediately the unicorn stopped moving and became heavy in my arms. He shifted and blinked blearily at me; he was as stunned as I.
    “Wha . . . what is that?” I was lost in the sapphire brilliance of his eyes, my head suddenly dizzy. I slumped on the floor, overtaken by the scent . . .
    . . . the scent of a hidden forest glade, dew-tipped violets over my tongue, and the creeping shadow of delicate ferns shading us from the harsh light of the golden afternoon . . .
    “Touching. Sign here, please.”
    “What are you talking about? I caught . . . him.” I gazed back down at the unicorn, the angst and heat of the moment rolling out of me in a wave of giddiness.
    “You caught him, all right.” Alisair flicked the rim of his baseball cap, which declared him a Cincinnati Bengals fan. “You just became his TouchStone. That makes him nonreturnable. So if you don’t mind, I’d really like to be going now.”
    “I don’t understand.” I shuffled to my feet, cradling the unicorn in the crook of my arm. I stroked his head, my fingers scratching at the base of his ears. He began to . . . purr? Hum? “How can I become his TouchStone without a Contract? Besides, I’m already Contracted to Moira.”
    “Good question.” The elf shoved a pen in my face, his voice a study in complete indifference. “Wish I could stay to chat, but I’ve got more deliveries to make. Truly, you’re fascinating for a mortal.”
    “You don’t have to be rude.” I took the pen and signed my name next to Moira’s seal on the parchment. He rolled up the scroll and left, muttering something under his breath. The daemon stared at me hard enough to burn holes throughmy skin.
    “Well,” I said, unable to completely keep the smugness from my voice, “I guess you’re going to have to leave