customer.
The air is cool when I step outside, but I don’t have long to wait before the cab pulls up. I slip inside, eager to be on my way. I have wasted a good part of the day already, although I can’t say that it was entirely ill-spent since I received useful advice.
I am still growing accustomed to taking cabs. It’s strange to be carried around in the claustrophobic confines of a conveyance when my fetch-form is much more efficient. Still, I find it pleasant to relax and watch the view pass by the windows, so it is not all bad.
“I need to purchase sweets and flowers for my female. Please take me to them,” I call out to the driver as I settle comfortably against the back of the seat.
The male in the front seat meets my eyes in the mirror, and his brow lowers. I would almost mistake him for human if it weren’t for the fact that his eyes are blood red, and the powerful energy that emanates from him. He presses his lips together thoughtfully but nods as he pulls away from the curb into traffic.
“Your best bet would have been a florist, but most of them are closing shop at this hour, so a grocer will have to do. There are still some nice picks to be found there, however,” he grumbles. “And more sweet things to choose from.”
I greet this information with a smile.
“Perfect. Please take me to the nearest grocer.”
The driver merely grunts.
The grocer turns out to be nearer than I expected, as well as less busy than I would have thought a place dealing in food at all hours would be.
“It’s because we are in the fae quarter,” he replies when I make mention of it. “It’s something that has happened gradually over the last couple of years. The more fae who come to settle permanently, the more the humans flee and the more we are pressured to remain in our own settled communities. We work here and live here. They will even turn away my cab service if I arrive, so I no longer even attempt to do pickups outside of our quarter. There’s less work to be had unless humans are coming to connect for a spirited adventure for a night or two.” He laughs disdainfully.
I frown, perplexed. That can’t be right.
“I don’t understand. I’ve been all through the city without problem,” I object.
“Oh, most won’t turn your business away, but everyone will be looking at you. Some lusting after you, others abhorring your very presence among them—sometimes the same people,” he remarks with a humorless smirk. “The wild ones may try to instigate something. But the pressure to go back to where you belong is always there, regardless of how subtle it is. They tolerate us in the city as long as we remain in our place, providing amusement and sating their darker appetites when wanted, and are not seen as a threat.”
“I see,” I mutter unhappily.
I wonder if that’s why my mate looked so much like she wished to flee from my company. Was she both attracted and repulsed by me? I know she was attracted at the very least. Although she somehow resisted my magic, the taste of her desire had been undeniable. The memory alone spurs me on as I open the cab door.
It wouldn’t be the first time a unicorn carried off a challenging mate. I will contain her within my grotto and set about wooing her and winning her trust and affection just as my kind has always done since the first of us walked the earth.
Like the fairy, the driver doesn’t comment on my money when I pay him. He merely pockets it and offers to wait until I finish my shopping. I am grateful for that and promise that I won’t be long, which he acknowledges with another of his grunts.
As I walk toward the doors, they slide open, admitting me into the cool interior of the store. The smell of fresh produce and cut meat hits me almost immediately, making me salivate. I don’t have time for that now, however, so I ignore the sensation and make my way to the flower display that’s set up by bins of fruits and vegetables.
Stepping in front of gathered clumps of flowers wrapped in transparent colored material, I inspect them critically. Cut from the living plants, their decay makes their scent more pungent than it would otherwise be, each blossom a little less vibrant.