Chapter 3.

Pascale.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDINGme.

How had this happened?

No, no, no!

This was exactly what I'd been trying to avoid, running into the one human that I didn't want to see. And she could see me, that was for sure and certain.

She was staring straight at me, her eyes wide.

"Amery, I can't..." I wanted to run. I had to. I couldn't afford the overwhelming distraction dealing with my mate would prove to be... not now. Not during the holiday period of my life—the one that defined who and what I was. I turned toward the front door to make my escape. Romance would have to wait.

The beautiful blonde put out her hand as though to stop me. "No, please don't go," she said, her voice plaintive and sweet, her gaze beseeching.

I stopped at her words, then turned to Amery again. "How can she see me? Am I losing my ability to remain invisible or something?" I was sure that I had my cloaking on still, because it wasn't exactly something you had to turn on, it was always active. The hard part was turning it off to be honest, which is what I had to consciously do if I wanted someone to be able to see me. That was how it worked. Those were the rules. It ensured accidents didn't happen. It kept all rabbit shifters safe.

Amery chuckled and put a hand on my shoulder calmly. "Come into the living room and I'll make us all a hot chocolate. Then we can talk about it."

"No," I said, shaking my head, every nerve on edge as I fought my fight or flight instincts—and I certainly wasn't going to opt for fight. "I can't. You can't..." I wasn't going anywhere until they told me what the hell was going on. None of this made sense.

Amery squeezed my shoulder with a smile and said in a soothing and cajoling tone of voice, "I'll explain everything. I promise. Don't worry, Pascale. You can trust me. I'm your friend, remember? Friends look out for each other."

The beautiful blonde who was shivering as though she were cold, twirled around on the spot and raced off into the living room from which she'd just emerged.

"Come along," Amery said with a reassuring smile, pushing me softly.

I didn't want to go, this was fast becoming a tangled mess of a situation, but I was stuck for choices now. I'd desperately wanted to stay away from the woman I knew to be my mate until after Easter for this exact reason! I didn't want her to see me in my shifter form. I had wanted her to see me as a man, first. To get to know me before she was subjected to my fluffier self.

She'll find me repulsive now.

My heart sank low as I followed Amery into the living room like a puppy with its tail between its legs. What was I going to do, now?

The ex-angel practically pushed me down into an oversized armchair. "Now, don't go anywhere Pascale, you got it? Stay put, I'll be right back!"

I nodded mutely and swallowed the lump in my throat.

The blonde girl, whose name I still didn't know, was perched on the edge of the couch, twisting her hands in her lap.

She was too beautiful for words and my heart ached at the mere sight of her.

"I'm Abby, by the way," she said unexpectedly, her voice like a balm for my stressed-out soul.

I nodded at her, attempting a smile and failing miserably. "Hi, Abby. I'm..."

"The Easter Bunny?" she asked, her lips lifting at the edges. She didn't look afraid or repulsed. In fact, her blue eyes were practically sparkling with mischief and curiosity.

She's not afraid of me. She's okay...

"My name is Pascale," I finally managed to say.

Her lips broke into a full smile, then. "That's Italian for Easter child, right?"

I nodded again, my discomfort slowly beginning to melt away in her presence.

"Here we go," Amery called out as she carried a laden tray into the living room and set it down on the low wooden coffee table adorned with a vase of fresh flowers.

Her colorful mugs were almost comically huge and overflowed with pink and white marshmallows. I couldn't see beneath the delicious looking fluff, but I had to assume the most decadent hot chocolate one could create was waiting just below the surface. I took the beverage from her gratefully and joked. "You know, I wondered if your sweet tooth would diminish when you... ah, moved here. But it seems like it hasn't." My gaze slipped to her visitor, then back to Amery.

Amery laughed and sat down on the couch beside Abby, shaking her head. "Oh, don't worry. Abby knows who we are, or what we were, Pas. She's an angel agent! Her family helps fallen angels and gets them established in the world safely after they fall. They have a gift, it's quite remarkable."

My gaze slid over to Abby, hardly daring to believe my ears.

My mate was staring into her hot chocolate, an embarrassed blush coloring her lovely face.

Amery continued. "Abby set us up with our jobs, and even secured this house for us. She's absolutely amazing. Val and I will be forever grateful."

Abby lifted her head and elbowed Amery playfully. "I just helped a little and pointed you in the right direction. You did the rest. Afterall, it's kind of my job."

"You mean your un-paid celestial volunteer work," Amery corrected with a bright grin. "We owe you a lot, Abby. Never forget that. We certainly won't."

I stared at the woman, my mate, a sense of understanding finally dawning on me. "So, that's why you can see me? Because you can see... angels? It's your gift?"

She shrugged, glancing between Amery and I. "Um, I don't know. I mean, I guess? I've never seen anything else, you know... like you, before. Just angels."

Amery shuffled on the couch. "You're part of the paranormal world, Abby. You have a natural gift. I'd venture to say that if Nicky dropped in, you'd be able to see him too, though most people obviously wouldn't be able to."

"Nick Claus?" I asked, my brow rising in query. "How's he doing these days?" I hadn't caught up with Nicky in years. We'd all been too busy, which was stupid really considering how small our magical world actually was.

"Oh, he's doing great!" Amery answered. "Val matched him up with this gorgeous witch from Salem. He's really happy, they make a beautiful couple."

"Hang on a second," Abby said, interrupting us. "Are you talking about Santa Claus? You mean to tell me there's a real Santa Claus, too?" She stared at us with her mouth agape, her eyes as wide as saucers.

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "I forget that humans don't know about us."

"Oh, we definitely do, as kids at least," Abby replied with a grin of her own. "But us adults have always assumed it was all just fairy tales... myths, you know? For the benefit of the little ones. It adds a bit of magic to life, you know?"

"Like angels and cupids?" I said with a smile.

She laughed and nodded. "You're right. Of course. How did I not figure that out sooner? If one kind of paranormal exists... the others logically must, too!"

My heart was singing now. I couldn't suppress it.

This is too perfect.

Outside of the earlier than hoped for timing, this was almost ideal! Abby was human, but already part of our world! Perhaps her adjustment period wouldn't be as terrible as I'd imagined. And maybe mating with her wasn't going to be as difficult as I first thought, either.

Abby glanced down at her watch, then jumped up. "Oh my, goodness! I'm sorry to cut this short, but I really have to go. But it was so nice to meet you, Pascale. I hope we'll have the chance to talk another time."

I quickly set down my drink and hopped to my feet. I extended my arm to shake her hand. I wanted to touch her, if only for a brief moment. "It was great to meet you too, Abby."

She hurried forward and put her hand in mine without hesitation.

My heart leapt in my chest as I experienced an immediate reaction. My skin tingled all over with what felt like living electricity.

Abby made a strange, strangled moaning sound.

It made my cock react instantly, and I could only thank the stars I had enough fur to cover that particular response.

"Um, what was that?" Amery asked, stepping forward, her brows furrowed.

I knew what it was without question. It was the mating bond. But the women didn't understand, that much was obvious. "Ah..."

"I have to go!" Abby said frantically, before ripping her hand from mine and running for the front door.

I let her go, even though everything inside my chest lurched and urged me to go after her. I was still staring at the front door long after she'd closed it and fled into the sunny morning.

When I finally came back to myself Amery was staring at me with a huge grin on her face. She looked like the cat that scored the cream. "So... you like my angel agent, huh?" she teased, her eyes sparkling.

I coughed to clear the lump in my throat. "Well..."

The ex-cupid arched an eyebrow at me and folded her arms across her chest. "Don't even attempt to lie to me, Mr."

I sighed, stretching my legs and moving around to shake off some of the nervous energy. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth."

Amery chuckled and led me back into the living room. She tucked her legs under her on the couch and picked up her cup of sweet hot chocolate. "Tell me everything."

I shook my head but couldn't help the easy smile that stretched my lips. "You always were incorrigible. You really can't take the cupid out of the angel."

She giggled and made a flippant motion with her hand. "Come on, Pascale. I'm dying to hear this! Spill the tea."

"Well, the honest truth is that I was actually coming here to tell you about her," I said.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Her? As in Abby?"

I nodded, pacing her small living room, unable to remain still. "Yes. I saw her last night in the diner carpark."

"And? What am I missing here?" she prompted.

Were Amery's cupid skills so long out of practice that she genuinely couldn't tell which way this conversation was headed? "I believe... I mean, I'm pretty damn sure that she's my mate."

Amery's big eyes widened even further, and she gasped. "Oh my, God. Pascale! Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty positive. All the signs are there. All the feelings too..."

"But how would that work?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said, pacing again. "She's human for one thing. I was planning on staying away from her until after Easter was done with, so that I could shift back to my human form and officially meet her. But that obviously didn't work out."

Amery started laughing, then didn't stop. She had to put down her mug of hot chocolate because she was jiggling, and tears were leaking from her eyes.

"What's so funny?" I asked, frowning.

It took way too long for her to pull herself together, but eventually, she did. "I'm sorry. It's just... you saw her, knew she was the one, tried to escape seeing her again, and found her again within what, like six hours tops? You are definitely meant to be. It's beautiful."

"Then why are you laughing?" I asked, still confused by her overzealous response.

She blinked and reached for a tissue. "I'm sorry, it's just, I've missed this so much. Fated mates and soul mate loves are the best, and my favorite part is exactly this. You see each other and you just know. And no matter how hard you try and fight it, or stay away from each other, you won't be able to. It's kind of insanely perfect."

I flomped into the oversized armchair again and sighed. "Yeah, well, I'm still in shock, myself. I wasn't expecting to find a woman, let alone a fated mate any time soon. This has all kind of blind-sided me. I'm reeling, Amery. What's up and down? Left, or right? I feel like I don't know anymore."

The ex-cupid grinned and reached for her drink, wiggling her hips in a happy little jig as she sat. "Enjoy it, my friend. There's truly nothing better. Love is everything."

I took a deep breath and tried not to panic. But my life is good, a part of me argued. I had a steady routine, important seasonal responsibilities, and everything worked out just right. How could I not panic? Meeting Abby was going to change everything.

Am I really ready for this?