Chapter 14.

Abigail.

I HAD TEN WHOLE DAYSto survive until I saw Pascale again, so I was counting down the days until Easter like a kid with stars in their eyes—hungry for all that tasty, sweet chocolate goodness. And God, did I want to finally feel his goodness inside me!

We'd both agreed that with the Easter Bunny's deadline coming up fast and our growing need to be with one another, it was probably best to just wait until I could see Pascale in his human form. I hadn't even asked him what he looked like! What color eyes did he have? What color hair and was it short or long? The curiosity was eating me alive, but I had bigger questions on my mind.

I had no idea yet if I was going to move straight in with Pascale, or I'd do some travel without him first, though I'd strongly considered it as a great way to pass the time between now and Easter. So, the questions were piling up, so instead of making any major life-changing decisions I spent my days seeing clients, visiting family, and cleaning my house; something I did exclusively when I was stressed and had an excess amount of energy to burn off.

When I found myself driving toward Amery's place when I'd meant to go home, I decided to follow the universal nudge, and go all the way. As soon as I pulled into their driveway, a huge sigh of relief flowed out of me. I had questions, and who better to ask that my two cupid friends? If anyone had more information about magicals and the paranormal world in general, it'd be them!

I didn't even to get to knock on the door. Valentine walked out onto the patio and waved me in with a welcoming smile.

"Hey, Val," I said, kissing his cheek before stepping into the warmth of his lovely home.

"Hey, is Amery here?" I asked, glancing around.

"She's not actually," he explained, walking me into the lounge. "We got a call to help another angel, and she's on her way there right now."

"Oh," I said, a strange twang of disappointment surging through me. "It's strange to think that I don't have to do that anymore," I admitted. "I've been doing it for so long, I kind of forgot what it was like to not... it's a bit weird, to be honest. Though, please don't misunderstand, I'm so grateful to you guys for picking up all this slack and taking this mission onboard, yourselves. It means a lot to us all." I sat down on the lounge chair and made myself comfortable.

Val soon joined me, sitting on the couch and striking up a new vein of conversation. "Speaking of your newfound freedom, how's everything going with that?"

I shrugged with a wry smile. "Really good, thanks. I've definitely got more time and money than I know what to do with." In fact, I was thinking of following my cousin's lead and buying into a property rather than continuing to rent.

Valentine laughed, the sound infectious and full of joy. "That sounds like a fantastic problem to have, Abby."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

We were quiet for a while, and unlike Amery, Val wasn't probing me to death with questions. Instead, he was patiently waiting for me to spit it out, but I was having trouble getting my thoughts in order.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Val asked after a while, glancing at the time. "I'll probably just order in so we can get whatever you want?"

I inhaled sharply and forced myself to speak at the prompt, even though I didn't know what was going to come out. "I'm worried about Pascale," I breathed.

Val sat up a bit straighter, his brows furrowing softly in thought. "Why's that? Is there something wrong?"

"No, not exactly." I said, chewing on my lower lip. "But he seems to think that he can't leave the area. You see, I've been wanting to travel, but he's reluctant. I mean, there's all the issues with documentation, which he brought up with me. But I think it's more than that and I don't really know what it is or why he's feeling that way."

Val tapped a finger against his lip, then said, "I suppose we're all like that, in a way. We don't like leaving the place where our purpose is—it's like a connection I can't quite explain. Nicky Claus doesn't like leaving the North Pole, but he does it once a year. And I can imagine that as a rabbit shifter, who has ties to the earth, EB wouldn't be keen to go too far from home either."

I sighed, an unexpected pain in my chest growing with each breath. "That's what I was afraid of."

"Abby, you've only known EB for a couple of weeks. I think you'll find that with time, he'll want to explore the wider world with you as well. As long as you're able to work around his obligations, of course."

"You mean the Easter Bunny thing?" I asked. "The fact he has to be present for the Easter holiday and all the work that leads up to it?"

He nodded in confirmation.

Then the strangest thought occurred to me, and I didn't really want to talk about it to a guy, but Amery wasn't here to confide in...

So, what choice do I have? I need answers.

"Go on." Val said. "I know you need to say something. So, out with it."

Without a lot of other options, I was forced to forge forward. "I've never seen Pascale in any form except his rabbit shifter. What if we don't... click when he's human? What if..."

Val held up his hand to silence me and I took the hint, allowing him to speak. "I think you're worried about nothing of consequence, Abby. You're overthinking this. Pascale is... Pascale. Whether he's in rabbit form or his human form. He's still tough, and grumpy, and loyal and..."

Sexy...

"Okay, so you're saying his personality won't change at all? So, I shouldn't worry about whether or not we'll get along as humans, basically."

Val lifted an eyebrow in amusement at me. "I'd honestly assume that you'd be able to get along a lot better, actually." His smile led me to believe that he knew exactly what I was talking about.

I looked away casually, so that I didn't blush and betray the erotic nature of my thoughts. "Okay, well I suppose I've only got to wait until Sunday to find out!"

He nodded. "Yep. After Pascale has coordinated the final deliveries on Sunday morning, he'll be able to shift right back. The pull of his Easter form won't have a strangle hold on him anymore," he revealed. "In fact, why don't you both come over here for Easter lunch? It might be nice to get together, all four of us—something like a double date?"

"Oh..." I swallowed hard and cleared my throat, feeling suddenly like a naughty girl with a secret. I had plans that didn't include roast lamb and the trimmings for Easter. "Can I get back to you?" I asked sheepishly.

Val snorted out loud, then laughed a little. "Sure thing! I'll leave the ball squarely in your court. But for now... how about Chinese or Italian? I'm starved."

I ended up staying for dinner with Val, enjoying some delicious and sinfully creamy alfredo pasta, then headed home with head overflowing with plans. I was going to color my hair and go shopping for a brand-new dress. Because on Sunday... I was going to fuck the freaking brains out of the Easter Bunny!

*

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EASTER SUNDAY MORNING.

I woke up early and found a basket placed neatly on the end of my bed filled almost to overflowing with chocolate bunnies of all sorts. There was milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and even bunnies with sweet treats inside!

"Oh my..." I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up in my throat. What a thoughtful, and kind of slightly creepy present.

Do his rabbit shifters just let themselves into my house? Or is there some sort of magic they utilize that delivers these gifts directly into people's homes? I mean, it's not like they have keys or know alarm codes!

Either way... I squealed with jubilation as I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, ready to start my day. Pascale and I had been texting and sexting all week and I was so twisted up in knots and horny that I was liable to go off like an epic New Years Eve fireworks display the very first moment he touched me.

Buzzing with elation and excitement I combed and styled my hair, freshly colored and blow dried, and dug into my chocolate while I anxiously paced around my little house. By the time noon rolled around I was practically ready to leap out of my skin, just waiting for the damn clock to strike twelve.

As soon as it did, I grabbed my keys with a squeal of delight and raced for the door. I'd told Pascale that I'd meet him at his burrow but as I closed my front door behind me and bolted for my car, I stopped. Frozen in my tracks, my breath hitching in my throat as my heart thumped madly—like it'd been jump-started with raw electricity.

There was a man standing by my silly little red car. A truly beautiful man, breath-taking man. He was tall and had rich, dark brown hair that curled in loose spirals around his ears and a perfectly chiseled face.

He turned toward me, and our gazes met.

Eyes wide, scarcely daring to believe, a single word fell from my lips. "Pascale?" I whispered into the quiet Sunday air.

He grinned and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was him, my Pascale, my Easter Bunny, my fated mate.

Without a trace of shame, I ate him up with my gaze. His shoulders were broad and his waist was narrow. He wore a simple gray T-shirt and a pair of old faded denim jeans. There was something so familiar about him, and yet... different.

He walked toward me with bare feet, his incredibly deep and beautiful brown eyes drinking me in from head to toe.

My heart skipped a beat. "Hi," I managed to say through a throat that was thick with emotion.

My God... he's beautiful.

No other word would do. He was just my perfect man in every way. "I thought I was coming to you?" I began.

He reached out and cupped my face, his touch electric and warm and everything right. "It's so good to feel you like this," he whispered.

I closed my eyes as a wave of love washed over me unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Pascale felt like home. It wasn't a place, like a house or a burrow, it was a person. A man. My home was wherever he was. The thought rippled through me with a power like a heavenly revelation and I shivered against his touch in its wake.

Screw Vegas and screw Europe. Who needs grand adventures when I have everything I need right here in the flesh?

I wanted nothing more than to lie in this man's arms forever. There was no doubt in my mind. And with that, I didn't need to say anything else. I just took a step back with a cheeky smile and beckoned him inside my home; where my bed had clean sheets and I'd been feverishly dreaming about just this moment all week. And to my surprise, despite my giddy excitement and extreme arousal, my mindset had shifted. From: I'm going to fuck the Easter Bunny! To: I'm going to make love to the man of my dreams...

Closing the door behind us, our Easter Sunday truly began.