11. Emma

ELEVEN

Emma

A day had passed since we’d visited the hospital, and we were no closer to solving the case. Outside, the sunset was setting, painting the sky in oranges and red, clearly visible through the wall of windows against the back wall. A candle burned in the center of the table in front of us, and Daniel looked good enough to eat. He’d showered recently enough that his reddish-brown hair was damp, and the gray at his temples taunting me to run my fingers through his beautiful hair.

He saw me staring, and he took another bite of the lasagna on his plate. The movement made my gaze cling to his lips, and I suddenly wanted him to kiss me more than anything in this world. But I’d have to wait. There was still one more bite on my plate.

Eating it, I leaned against the table, watching as Daniel made his way through his third helping of the food. Everything about Daniel was amazing, but I had to be the luckiest lady on the planet that he was handsome, funny, smart, and a good cook. How blessed could one woman be?

I pushed my plate away, the last bite of lasagna sitting heavy in my belly. "That was delicious," I said with a contented sigh.

"Thanks," Daniel replied, his fork scraping up the final bits on his dish. "Henry and Alice pick a movie?"

That was something the four of us liked to do together, watch a movie in the evening. We took turns picking which one to watch, but their choices were almost always something nerdy and fun. Daniel and I really enjoyed getting out of our comfort zone by watching their picks. Daniel had even gotten really into the way some of the "heroes” fought. He said he’d have to research their training videos online, and Henry had agreed to help him with that. I didn’t think he needed to look like Thor, but he begged to differ.

"They picked something with superheroes, I think."

"Woot! I hope it’s one where the hero hunts down the bad guy and gives him what he deserves,” he said in a really excited voice.

I laughed. "I’m sure it will be.” I collected our plates.

"Want me to get those?" His green eyes caught mine, that protective streak never far from the surface.

"I got it, but I appreciate the offer.” I dropped a kiss on his cheek. After stacking the plates, I carried them to the sink and started the water.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Travis after his interview?" Daniel asked.

I had, and I was always glad for a call from my son. Sometimes it was still crazy to me that I birthed him, kissed his boo boos, taught him to walk, and now he was out in the big world, and I was just happy to get a phone call. Everyone always told me those days would go fast. I had no idea just how fast though. Otherwise, I might have appreciated those moments more.

"Yeah, the call went well. He's excited," I nodded, grabbing a sponge and starting on the first plate. "They offered him the job."

"Here? In Mystic Hollow?" Daniel was smiling.

"Uh-huh. He'll be working on all the old roads, given the recent grant the town got to revitalize a lot of the beat-up roads, which also means he’ll be kept busy and employed.” He was lucky. He was coming home at the perfect time. "The civil engineering firm was pretty impressed with him. They liked his grades, but they also said that his personality was a perfect fit, and they loved that he had personal ties to the town."

My boy was coming home with a big, grown-up job, and I couldn’t be happier. Mystic Hollow wasn’t a large city, so sometimes it was hard to find employment if you were looking for something specific like he was with his civil engineering degree. It must be good karma that he finished school right when the town was able to start improving the roads.

"Good for him." Daniel smiled wider, leaning against the doorframe. "And Jacqueline? She must be thrilled too."

"Absolutely. She's got her eye on joining the local coven. And she's talking about starting an interior design business too. With her style, she'll fit right in," I said, scrubbing a stubborn spot on a dish.

"I’m so happy. It’s going to be wonderful having them close to home.”

"It really is.” I checked the time. "I think Henry and Alice should be here in a couple of hours. They said they’re at a hard spot in their game or something. I didn’t really understand, just told them it was okay.”

He came up behind me at the sink and nuzzled my neck. "We’ve got some time before they’re home, huh?”

"Plenty of time," I said, shutting off the water and drying my hands. "For what, I'm not exactly sure."

He chuckled, his hand finding my waist. "I have a few ideas."

"Is that so?" I turned to him. My fingers trailed up his chest, feeling the beat of his heart.

"Care to test them out?" His voice was low, teasing.

"Maybe just one or two," I whispered, closing the gap until our lips met.

As we kissed, Daniel’s hands roamed over my back, pulling me in closer, as if he could never get enough. I felt his love through every touch, each one sending tingles down my spine.

"Emma," he breathed, breaking away just enough to speak. "I love you."

"I love you too," I answered, not missing a beat. It was the truth, simple and pure.

The counter was cool against my back as he lifted me onto it, his body pressing against mine as he lifted up my skirt and pushed my panties to the side. We moved together, slowly at first, then with a growing urgency that neither of us wanted to resist.

We found a rhythm, the kitchen disappearing around us as we focused only on each other. The world narrowed to the sound of our breaths, the feel of his hands on me, and the look in his eyes that told me everything I needed to know.

It felt forbidden to do this in the kitchen, and I came to completion fairly quickly, with Daniel right behind me.

We were catching our breath, Daniel's forehead resting against mine when the knock came. Three sharp taps. Because, of course, this would be the time someone would choose to drop by.

"Ugh, really?" I muttered, sliding off the counter and straightening my skirt.

"Who could that be at this hour?" Daniel frowned, buttoning his jeans.

"Let's find out." I smoothed my hair and followed him to the door.

He cracked it open, and there stood Beth and Wade, looking anxious. More than anxious. Something about them immediately put me on alert.

"Sorry to bother you two," Beth started, her eyes darting between us, a knowing smirk briefly crossing her lips before she turned serious again.

"Hey, what's up?" Daniel leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. His casual pose didn't fool anyone; he was ready to spring into action if needed.

"We didn't mean to interrupt." Wade shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "But we've got a situation. There's an injured unicorn out there."

"Another unicorn?" My mind raced from the shock of being interrupted to confusion.

"We got a trail but could use Daniel's nose," Wade explained, looking directly at Daniel.

Daniel, being a bear shifter, had an excellent nose. If someone could track an injured unicorn through the dark, damp woods, it would be him. I understood why they’d asked.

"Let's do it," Daniel replied without hesitation.

"Give us a minute," I said, grabbing Daniel’s hand and pulling him back inside.

"Of course," Wade nodded, stepping back to allow us space.

I made sure the stove was off and wrote a quick note for Henry and Alice, along with sending them a text, while Daniel grabbed his wallet and phone. Then, we took a minute to clean ourselves up before heading for the door.

We hurried out, locking the door behind us, and trotted down the porch steps to Daniel's truck, parked under the glow of the streetlight. He tossed me the keys.

"You can drive. I'll try to pick up the scent through the open window as we get closer," he said as he climbed into the passenger side.

"Got it," I replied, sliding behind the wheel while Wade and Beth got in the back.

The engine roared to life, and we pulled away from the curb.

"Unicorn blood glows," Wade said, settling into the backseat. "I followed a trail, but it went cold."

"Glows?" I glanced in the rearview mirror.

"Like a beacon in the night," he confirmed. "Whoever did this... if they're still out there..."

"They could find it before we do," I finished for him.

"Exactly." Wade leaned forward between the seats. "We need to move fast."

"Got it." Daniel nodded and looked at me. "Step on it, Emma. Down Pinetop Road heading for Mountain Avenue."

I pressed the gas harder, the engine of the truck growling in response as we sped down the darkening roads of Mystic Hollow. The trees blurred past us, shadows dancing in the headlights' beam.

"Harder," Daniel said, his voice tense. "We can't let them get there first."

Unicorns were precious, beautiful creatures. No one knew how many of them were left, but they were rare, and needed to be protected at all costs. I’d get us there as fast as I could.

"Pushing it to the limit," I replied, the truck lurching beneath us as I willed it to go faster.

"Good." He practically hung his head out the window as the truck's tires ate up the miles. We were all silent, each lost in our thoughts, but united in our determination to save the injured creature from harm.