19. Miranda

I followDec down the stairs, Sophie and the others following us. What in the world is going on? What is Sophie doing here? It doesn't seem like Dec was expecting her. A feeling of dread settles in my stomach. Today started off perfectly. The future I dreamed of was in front of me. I knew it was too good to be true. I don't know what Dec is going to say or show me when we get outside, but I'm betting it isn't good. It never is.

Opening the door, he leads me outside. Then he turns to me and gently squeezes my hands before letting go. The kiss he presses to my lips is brief, too brief. What if this is the last kiss he ever gives me? My stomach is churning.

He strides away, his long legs taking him about fifty feet from the patio. Suddenly those legs transform from gray cotton to sleek black with a fringe of black hair above glistening black hooves. Where Declan stood a moment ago now stands a strong black unicorn stallion with a flowing mane and tail. Proud and regal, his twisted silver horn reflects brightly in the sun. It's beautiful but also looks like a deadly weapon. He rears up on his hind legs and…yeah.

You know the phrase "hung like a horse?" Anyone who ever used that phrase never saw a unicorn. Wowza. This is no My Little Pony. This is a warhorse, something from mythology or a nightmare. Or my dreams. I can understand why the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. They are right to brag. He tosses his head in a way seeming to call me to the edge of the brick patio where he's trotted over. I approach cautiously, knowing he won't hurt me, but still unsure. The chill of the bricks seeps through my socks, but I don't care. Looking in his eyes, I know this is still Declan and I have nothing to fear. He is stunning. And huge. I haven't been around horses in years, but he seems larger than any horse I've ever seen. He's leaner than the Clydesdales I've seen but still gives an aura of strength and size. Standing next to him, I can't see over his back. He towers over me. I'm guessing he is over sixteen feet tall when he rears on his hind legs. He is magnificent.

With a toss of his head, he snuffles and bumps my arm with his muzzle.

I pet his velvety nose and sigh.

"No rainbow mane or glittery hooves, but I guess you're okay."

Letting out a huff, his giant head nuzzles my shoulder, and his tongue rasps my neck. With a laughing shriek, I skitter away. That will teach me to tease him. The gentle breeze stirs his glorious, wavy mane. He looks like he should be in a shampoo commercial. Even in this form, his beautiful blue eyes, fringed by long, dark lashes, shine with a fierce intelligence.

Then it hits me. He's real. I'm not dreaming. We aren't in a field of daisies and forget-me-nots, we are in a yard ringed by oak and pine trees. We aren't children, we're adults. But we've done this before.

"You're real," I whisper. "You've always been real. It wasn't a dream."

The trembling starts, and I can't stop it.

Suddenly, Declan is back to himself and is pulling me into his embrace.

"Hey, Miranda, darling. Are you okay?"

He's looking at me with such concern, brushing tendrils of hair back from my face. Tears flood my eyes. Shaking my head, I pull out of his arms and rush across the patio.

"Miranda, wait," Dec calls after me.

I'm on the verge of sobbing and the gasping breaths I'm taking have me afraid I'm going to pass out. I sit in one of the chairs Bedard likes to sit in.

Dec kneels in front of me and takes my hand. "Daisy, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

"I thought you were a wolf shifter? You're a unicorn? How? They don't exist."

"Obviously they do."

"No. I'm dreaming again. This is all a dream. I'm going to wake up and none of this has happened."

"What? No. This is real." He lays my hand against his cheek and turns his head to press a kiss against my palm. "I'm real."

I shake my head. "Bears and wolves are real animals. Unicorns are not."

Dec has the nerve to wink at me. "With enough practice, I promise I can be a real animal."

I want to laugh. I want to accept this and move on, pretending none of this has happened. But I can't.

Rising to his feet, Declan gives my hand a gentle tug. "Let's go back inside. It's cold and I don't want you to catch a chill."

Nodding, I get up and follow him. Our friends are in the rink area, waiting for us.

Kendall comes over with a mug of tea from the kitchen off the gym. "Sit down, you've gone pale. You're almost see-through."

I sit on a bench at the side of the rink, and she hands me the mug. I take a sip. It's passable. Not as good as the tea Dec makes me, but I appreciate the effort.

I look around at all the faces full of concern, and it's both comforting and overwhelming. My friends are nosy. I know this. But I don't need them to witness me fall apart and try to put myself back together.

Brick, bless her, must realize how I'm feeling because she suggests they all head upstairs, but no one moves. I guess we're going to have an audience. Whatever. If everyone hears it now, then I won't have to explain anything later.

"So, you're not a wolf shifter? You're a unicorn?" I look at Sophie. "You're a unicorn too?"

Sophie shakes her head.

"I'm a wolf. And a witch."

Dec rests his hand on my knees, and I turn to face him.

"I'm a wolf shifter," he says, "but in the shifter community there is a special…"

"Class." Trevor completes Declan's sentence.

Nodding, Dec continues. "Class is a good word for it. It's rare, but certain shifters can shift into unicorns besides their normal animal. I'm one of those shifters."

This is crazy. I accept shifters in general, but to have two is inconceivable. Does someone else have a whole zoo in them?

"Do you have special powers?" I ask.

"I can't shoot lasers out my eyes or breathe fire. But in a way, it comes with special powers. In the future, I will have a seat on the Unicorn Council. It's kind of like the United Nations of the shifter community."

What the hell? This is ridiculous. I must still be dreaming. I pinch my arm. Hard. Nothing changes.

"Randi, it's really happening," Kendall says.

I nod. My hands are shaking too much to hold the mug of tea. I put it on the bench next to me. A little sloshes out, and I'm shocked I didn't drop it.

Trevor scratches the stubble on his jaw, staring at Declan before turning concerned hazel eyes to me. "Each of the major shifter classifications and species—wolves, lions, tigers, gorillas, bears, raptors, horses, foxes, and others have a unicorn—one of their own who shifts to a unicorn besides their main animal."

"How do you get to be a unicorn?" I ask. "Is it random?"

"It's hereditary," Dec says. "Through my mother's family. My maternal grandfather is the current unicorn for the wolves. Once I turn thirty, I will be eligible to take my seat when my grandfather abdicates his. It's a ceremonial thing now that shifters are public and human laws govern, but historically they would handle disputes between groups of shifters. Like if wolves and bears were fighting over a territory." He takes a cautious step toward me. "You don't care about any of this, do you?"

I shake my head. "You're real."

"Aye, why would you think I wasn't? You saw me when we were kids. That's how it was discovered I was a unicorn. I hadn't shifted before then, but your powers called me."

"My…my powers?" I don't have powers. What the hell is he talking about now?

"Your powers as a witch," Sophie says, like it makes perfect sense.

I jump to my feet and walk away.

"What powers? I'm not a witch."

I pace. Being active helps things make sense. It's been that way since I was a girl.

"Yes, you are. You're a fauna witch, like your mother," Sophie says.

That stops me in my tracks, and I look at Sophie in shock.

"Mymother is a witch?" I reach up to run my fingers through my hair, but I forget I have it in a braid, and I end up with them jammed in. "What's a fauna witch?"

"You have an affinity with animals," Dec says. "That's why you were amazing with horses and always had the dogs and cats following you. Even the ones who hated everyone else loved you. It's like Ma with her flowers but with animals. And shifters."

"This is crazy. You all are teasing me. It's January first, not April first. This isn't funny. What is this, some kind of hazing?"

"Miranda, no." Dec stands and walks towards me with his arms open to embrace me, but I back away and hold up my hands to stop him. Hurt flashes across his face, but he stops.

I wrap my arms around my stomach. "When we were kids. That day in the field. You were a unicorn, and we were both there and I rode you and we played. It really happened? I fell asleep leaning against your flank and when I woke up, I was alone. It wasn't a dream?"

"Aye, it happened. Why do you think it didn't?"

I laugh bitterly. "Because for the past fourteen years, I've been told I'm a liar. That I make up tall tales for attention, and your parents were tired of it. It was time for me to go away. Every school I went to asked my parents to remove me because I didn't fit in with the other kids because of all the lies I told. I never told a single lie. I'd be locked in my room when I was with my parents until I admitted I lied." I laugh mirthlessly. "Those were the only lies I ever told—that I was lying."

I take a few gulping breaths. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I need to.

"I'd get bread and tea and a bucket to relieve myself in until I admitted it. If I protested, then the lights would be turned off. When I'd admit it, they'd hug me and tell me I was a good girl but should stop lying. I'm not a liar, I swear." Tears stream down my face.

Daphne is crying with her head against Logan's chest, cuddling the bump Birdie is making in her middle. I take a quick glance around and see a mixture of shock and sympathy on everyone's faces. Except for Declan. His face is full of rage and he's snarling. Is his wolf about to appear?

Sophie says something in Gaelic I don't catch. It's been too long since I've been around it and I was never fluent anyway. Whatever it was, it seems to calm Declan down. He closes his eyes and takes some deep breaths, causing his t-shirt to tighten around his chest. I get distracted by the play of muscles outlined under the cotton.

"It happened," he says, quietly. "It was the first time I shifted. Puberty is when it starts for most shifters. You were there in the field, upset because you had a spat with Sophie or something. I hated seeing you upset. Apparently, your powers were burgeoning too, and your emotions called out to my unicorn, and I shifted."

"I'm not a witch, I don't have any powers. I can't make you shift. Like I can point and say ‘shift.'" I fling my hand out and there's a loud honk. Everyone gasps and I turn my head. Where Brick was standing is now a pissed off Canada goose.

"Holy shit," Coach says.

Stone giggles and jumps back when the goose tries to peck his knee.

Suddenly, I'm lightheaded and slumping against the wall.

"Oh my god. I broke Brick!" I yell before I break into hysterical sobs and fall to my knees.

That breaks everyone out of their shock, and suddenly it's pandemonium. Brick shifts back to her human form and stands there with her arms crossed. She's fully clothed and I realize Dec has clothes on too. How the hell can you go from being an animal to back to being a fully clothed human?

"It's shifter magic," Bedard says, apparently reading my mind. "Something with wearing natural fibers and magic. Scientists are studying it."

I tune him out and through my sobs I say, "Brick…Bridget, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I don't know how I did that. I hope I didn't hurt you. I don't know how I made you a goose when you're a moose. I'm sorry."

I'm flailing as I apologize and Trevor comes behind me, pulls me on his lap, grabs my hands and puts them in the pocket of my hoodie.

"Let's put those away. They're dangerous," he says.

I know Trevor's trying to make a joke to lighten the mood, but the truth is, my hands are dangerous. I randomly pointed at someone and turned them into a goose. That's not normal.

Brick heaves a sigh. "It's okay Randi, you didn't break me. You compelled a shift. I am a goose shifter. Our parents have a mixed marriage. Mom is a Canada goose shifter and dad is a moose. Very Maine. The kids can take after either parent. I let people assume I'm a moose because who is going to take a goose goalie seriously? Especially a female one."

"That's how it is with me and my brother," Logan says. "I'm an eagle like Dad and he's a cougar like Mom."

"I'm way more afraid of geese than moose," Daphne says.

This is all fascinating, but it's not addressing the fact I have magical powers I know nothing about and can't control. That's a big problem. Oh my god. I can't catch my breath. I know I'm hyperventilating, but I can't stop it.

"Randi, breathe. Calm down." Trevor is running his hand up and down my back, trying to soothe me. I'm trying, but it's difficult. It takes all my effort, but I calm down for a moment.

"Daphne, leave," I say between my sobs. "What if I hurt you or Birdie? I'm dangerous."

I watch both her and Logan's faces go pale. They hadn't thought of that. Judging by the way Trevor's hand stalls while rubbing my back and the gasps from around the room, no one else did either. I don't know if it's possible. I know absofuckinglutely nothing, but I can't take the risk.

I turn in Trevor's lap and bury my head against his chest and start crying again. I never fully stopped, but now it's less sobbing and more whimpers and tears. What am I going to do?

"Who are you calling?" Sophie asks.

My head pops up. Is someone calling the cops on me? Can I go to jail for this? They don't burn witches at the stake anymore, do they? Maybe ones who can't control their powers?

I try to scramble out of Trevor's hold and escape, but he tightens his grasp.

"He's calling the cops, I'm going to be burned at the stake. Let me go," I cry.

"What? No." Declan drops to his knees next to me and tries to take me into his arms. Trevor won't let go of me and I'm clinging to him like a koala. Dec stops trying.

"Miranda, love, I'm calling my mother. She will know what to do. She loves you. You know you can trust her." He shows me his phone screen with her contact info up. I think for a moment and then nod. He hits the button to make a video call.

"Declan. Happy New Year." Nora Mackenzie sounds happy as she answers. Her tone changes. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Hey, Ma. I'm okay. Sophie's here, she's okay too. I need your help. Miranda is here, and she just found out she's a witch. She made one of my teammates shift accidentally. She's upset."

"What do you mean, she just found out? She's twenty-four years old. How could she not know? Put her on."

Dec turns the phone toward me. I think he expects me to take it, but my hands are not leaving my pockets.

"Miranda darlin', what's wrong?" Nora's face, an older version of Sophie's, fills the screen. I can see care for me I've never seen in my own mother's eyes, and my already shattered heart breaks into more pieces.

"The unicorn was real. It wasn't a dream. I wasn't lying. I'm a witch and I don't know what to do. I'm scared." I whisper the last part because it's the hardest to admit. I'm terrified. I know I didn't have these powers before right now. I can feel them, and they weren't there before.

"What?" she asks. Then realization dawns on her face. "Sit tight, my lamb. Try to get some rest. I'm on my way. Alex and I are in Chicago. We will fly to you. Let me talk to Declan again. It will be okay. You will be okay. I love you."

Dec turns the phone back to himself and steps away. Sophie joins him and talks to their mother too. I don't pay attention to the conversation. Nora said she loves me. She meant it. I could see it. My own mother has never told me that. Maybe one of those broken pieces has fused back together. But as one piece is repaired, a dozen other cracks spread like a spider web.

When I woke up this morning, I thought I finally had a home, a community, people who loved me, people I could be my true self with. Now I know I had none of those things. My closest friends kept secrets, huge secrets from me. I have powers that can hurt people I love. I can't believe I was dreaming of a future, thinking about building a life on the shakiest of foundations. I was considering following Declan wherever he wanted to go and put his dreams ahead of mine as long as we were together after one night of great sex and some claims of love. I'm never going to learn. Suddenly exhausted, I close my eyes and rest my cheek against Trevor's chest. He's the one man I can trust. He's never dropped me. I'm safe with him. Why can't he be the one I'm desperately in love with? His steady heartbeat is comforting as I drift off to sleep.