Vanessa Unveiled Page 9

  “No, it doesn’t. It’s the name of a—” She swallowed hard as an unexpected sob tunneled its way up her esophagus. Despite her efforts to rope it into submission, the embarrassing sound blubbered free.

  Tabby gaped at her. “Oh, hon. I had no idea you hated nicknames that much. I promise I’ll never say it again.”

  “I-it’s not…” Sniffling, Vanessa knuckled her nose. “He called me Nessie too.”

  “Who?”

  “Rand. My pooka.”

  Tabby’s pencil-thin eyebrows arched. “Hon, you just called him your pooka. Are you sure there isn’t more of a story there than you’re letting on?”

  Vanessa lasted exactly five seconds before spilling all the sordid details. By the time the tale ended, Tabby looked suitably shocked. And a bit envious. “Well, damn. No wonder you let them talk you out of hauling them in immediately. I’m just amazed you only opted for forty-eight hours.” Tabby gave a wicked chuckle. “I would have renegotiated them to at least a week.”

  A fresh crop of tears sprang to Vanessa’s eyes, and Tabby dropped her spatula before dragging Vanessa against her ample bosom. “Ssh, it’s okay now.”

  “N-no, it isn’t. Because I…I…” The word clogged in Vanessa’s throat like a bitter pill that refused to go down without a fight.

  “You love them, hon. Why don’t you just say it?”

  “I can’t. Because if I do. If I admit it out loud…” She looked into Tabby’s compassion-filled eyes and finally found the courage to acknowledge her darkest fear. “They’ll leave me. Just like everyone else has. They may not realize it now, but they will eventually. Now that the curse is broken, they don’t really have any use for me.”

  “Do you honestly believe that, or is it just your stubborn fear talking?”

  “I—I don’t know.”

  Tabby leaned against the counter and stroked her double chins. “What is your heart telling you?”

  Vanessa sucked in a deep breath. “That I love them and want to be with them.”

  “So go be with them.”

  Could she do it? Drop everything, including the scared voice in her head that kept whispering about her past heartbreaks, and simply embrace every precious second she might share with Rand and Braeden, no matter how long or short it might last?

  The joyful “Yes” bursting in her soul was all the answer she needed. Until reality once again set in. “I’m on probation. They’ll never let me past the veils.”

  A crafty grin slid across Tabby’s face. “They will if you have a jumper.”

  Chapter Eleven

  She might have known she’d track him to a damn rodeo. Still, she should probably be grateful for the pervert’s predictability. Otherwise she might have been hoofing it all over San Antonio looking for Gus.

  Keeping to the shadows, Vanessa crept down the corridor of stalls ringing the perimeter of the arena, her senses on high alert for the telltale tingling at the base of her spine. Finally she felt it. Not that she needed the warning once that familiar and grating voice made itself known several stalls down.

  “So what do you say, mama? You, me, a trough of Margaritas and perhaps some bow-chicka-wow-wow afterwards. You feelin’ me?”

  She planted her boot against the stall door and kicked it open. “Trust me, no one wants to feel you, Gus.”

  The unicorn bleated an incredibly colorful swear word as she lassoed his right ankle with the electro-cuff. He tried to headbutt her. Fortunately she was faster and slapped the restraining muzzle she’d wisely brought along over his mouth. She looped the rein around his left leg, making it impossible for him to do anything more dangerous than glare at the ceiling. He mumbled something around the bit that sounded suspiciously like cock blocker.

  Grabbing hold of Gus’s mane, she sent the quarter horse he’d been seducing an apologetic smile. “I know he looks adorable, but one day you’ll look back on this night and thank me for saving you from the horny little bastard.” With that said, she led Gus outside. When he wouldn’t let up with the incessant snorting and throat clearing, she reluctantly loosened the bit. “What is it?”

  “My neck is getting a fucking crick.”

  “If I take the muzzle off, will you promise to behave?”

  “When do I never beha—” He yelped when she tweaked his ear. “Damn, you’re a feisty mama. Have I mentioned lately that I love you?” He sighed when she gave him the stink eye. “Fine, I’ll behave. But it’s gonna damn near kill me.”

  Holding up her end of the bargain, she removed the muzzle and walked Gus five blocks to the local detainment center. The building was hopping tonight, overrun with Otherworlders who’d obviously decided to skip the necessary red tape involved with getting their papers legalized. Fortunately that worked in her favor. An overstressed staff meant less scrutinizing of her doctored forms. She waved one of the workers over. A young kid. Even better. “I’m really late getting my jumper home. Think you can swing me through right away?”

  The frazzled kid scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I’m not supposed to let anyone cut in line.”

  She rubbed his arm. “Please? You’d be saving my job.”

  Gus gave a mocking ninny and she elbowed him in the ribs.

  A pink stain crawled over the kid’s pimply face before he shot a covert look over his shoulder. “Okay. But we’ve got to be quick. Give me his home dimension and I’ll go dial up the coordinates.”

  “Pitticairn.” She elbowed Gus again when he opened his mouth to correct her.

  The young attendant nodded toward the adjacent hallway. “Go on into the back and I’ll start the portal process.”

  “Thank you.” She bussed the kid on his cheek, earning another of his blushes. Hah, and the guys from her office called her a hard-ass. Take that, motherfuckers. Grabbing hold of Gus once more, she trekked into the rear deporting dock.

  Once all the doors locked securely behind them, Gus glanced at her. “Why are you taking me to pooka-ville?” His grin turned lecherous. “Ah, I get it. Once you get poked by a pooka, ain’t no going back.”

  “You really are a disgrace to unicorns everywhere.” Before she could say anything more, the portal shield activated in front of them. She waited for the shimmering violet membrane to fully open on the wall before tugging Gus forward. They both jumped into the eye of the portal, following the spinning tunnel until it opened up onto another portal—this one to Pitticairn.

  They stepped into a deportment room that was an exact duplicate of the one they’d just left behind back in the human dimension. The attendant waiting for them frowned at Gus. “Since when have we had unicorns?”

  “Gus is a…uh…pooka stuck in form.” Hey, not a bad improvisation. “His cousin Rand Quinlan is the only one who can help him shift back. It’s vital that you take me to the detainment cell where Quinlan and Whyndham are being held.”

  “They’re not here.”

  She stared at the attendant. “What do you mean? They should have arrived last Saturday.”

  “I mean they’re not here at the center. Charges were dropped and they were sent home. No point making two dying pookas stand trial.”

  A fierce, stabbing pain erupted in her heart, followed by swift denial. “What the hell are you talking about? They can’t be dying. They were absolutely fine three days ago.” The attendant’s expression turned suspicious and she waved a hand in Gus’s direction. “That’s what he told me, anyway. Gus was with them before he got stuck in this unicorn shape.” Half of that was truthful, at least.

  The attendant shrugged. “Quinlan and Whyndham came down with the bond bends.”

  “The what?”

  “Some chick revoked their bond and now it’s killing them.”

  All the blood drained to her toes. “Oh my God.”

  Chapter Twelve

  She would never forgive herself if Rand and Braeden died because of her. “There’s a cure for the bond bends, right? If the one who revoked it decided she’s made a huge, stupid mistake and begs them
to take her back, they’ll get better, right?”

  The attendant started to get that distrusting look again. “Yeah, probably. Why are you so interested—?”

  Not waiting around to hear the rest of his sentence, she raced from the room, Gus hot on her heels. Outside, she realized she faced another dilemma. She had a map to Rand and Braeden’s home tucked in her pants pocket, thanks to Tabby’s awesome research skills, but the seaside village where her mates lived was at least ten miles from the detainment center. Talk about one hell of a walk, particularly when every minute lost could be one minute closer to…

  Refusing to contemplate the possibility of arriving too late, she scanned her immediate surroundings. Unlike San Antonio, the main city center of Pitticairn was quiet and uneventful. As she stared at the handful of pedestrians strolling through the park across from the detainment center, she realized she had yet another problem. Pitticairn didn’t have any streets—which meant they likely didn’t have any vehicles. And why would they? It’s not like the residents needed to rely on cars.

  She inwardly groaned. Great. Now what? Not like she could march over to that park and demand one of the pookas shift into a horse and take her to Rand and Braeden.

  From the corner of her eye, she noticed Gus’s rein dragging near her foot. She blinked before staring at the unicorn. “Okay, I guess you’re the next best thing to a horse.”

  Gus’s nostrils flared. “Excuse me?”

  Ignoring his hissy fit, she grabbed the rein and started to climb onto his back, but he skittered sideways, causing her to slide off. “Damn it, Gus. Believe me, this is a last resort. And probably the only time in your life my butt will be touching any part of your body. So take it or leave it.”

  Gus dropped onto his forelegs. “All aboard.” She hopped on and soon she and Gus were thundering through the countryside at a breakneck speed. They galloped across rolling meadows and thick forests carpeted with dense, slippery moss that almost tripped poor Gus several times. Somehow he kept his footing, but by the time they arrived at Rand and Braeden’s white clapboard-sided cottage nestled at the sea cliff’s edge, Gus was sweating profusely and Vanessa’s heart threatened to beat straight out of her chest. Jumping off of Gus, she barreled up the cottage’s steps and tried the front door, nearly sobbing in relief when she discovered it unlocked. She hurried inside, letting her energy signals lead the way.

  The cottage was deathly quiet. She stumbled into a large bedroom at the rear of the house, her heart seizing so hard her chest ached. Rand and Braeden were lying on the bed, their arms wrapped around each other. Their usually vibrant, golden complexions had been drained to a lifeless gray.

  Tears spilling uncontrollably down her cheeks, she crossed to the bed and crawled between them. “Please don’t leave me. I love you. God, I lo—” A choked sob backlogging in her throat, she twined her fingers around Rand’s and Braeden’s.

  Their skin was colder than ice. She rubbed her hands over every inch of them, her motions desperate and practically chafing her palms raw. If she could just warm them up, they’d be fine. Right? She scrambled for the heavy quilt bunched at the foot of the mattress and tucked it around the three of them. The chill encompassing Rand and Braeden’s bodies slowly leached into her bones and she shivered. She nestled her wet cheek against Rand’s chest, the misery inside her growing to an unbearable pain when she realized she couldn’t feel his heartbeat.

  For the first time in her life, she prayed. For a miracle. For a second chance. And in those dark hours when hope seemed the biggest illusion of all, she prayed for forgiveness.

  She held them throughout the night, until the pink rays of the sun peeked through the window and spread across the tangled sheets. Her throat was sore from crying and pleading for them to come back to her, but she didn’t have the energy to leave the bed for a drink of water. She shifted her arm and someone’s fingers fluttered beneath hers. At first she thought it was her imagination. When it happened again, she lifted her head, almost afraid to believe in the impossible. Her heart did a cartwheel of joy when her gaze locked with Rand’s. Then he said the one thing she’d begged them for all night. “Sweetness, you came back to us.”

  “Told you so.” Braeden’s hand pulled hers more firmly into their clasped embrace. “I was going to bake some more cinnamon rolls to welcome you home, darlin’.”

  She gave him a watery smile. “It’s okay. Having you both alive and healthy is the best homecoming I could wish for.”

  “You’ve got us, Nessie. For always.”

  Rand’s words made her cry all over again. He lifted his hand and brushed away her tears before pulling her forward for a tender kiss. Soon enough, the kiss went from gentle to a full-on ravishment. When Rand finally came up for air, Braeden took his place, his tongue gliding coaxingly over hers. In between their hungry kisses, she noticed how their skin was regaining color. In fact, it seemed to darken every time she touched them. Putting her theory to the test, she slid her palms along their torsos. They both groaned, their eyes sparkling with need. She traced her fingertip over Rand’s pectoral. “I think you should get a heart tattooed here with Nessie in the center of it. What do you think?”

  Rand lifted her hand and kissed the center of her palm. “I think it sounds perfect. Now come make love to us. It’ll give Gus a thrill.”

  She met Rand and Braeden’s hot, amused gazes before turning toward the window. Sure enough, Gus had his eye pressed to the pane. “That little perv—” Her lips curving into a grin, she shook her head. “Oh, what the hell.” Stripping from her clothes, she rejoined her mates, wiggling between them with a giggle. “Let’s show that unicorn how to really get your dimension rocked.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later…

  Trills of laughter and the muted buzz of excited chatter floated into the cottage as Vanessa made her way into the kitchen. From the sounds of it, nearly the entire population of Pitticairn was camped in the backyard. Not too surprising. The first ever triad marriage—between two pookas and a human bounty hunter, no less—was bound to bring all the looky-loos out of the woodwork. Unable to contain her smile, she stepped outside onto the porch, the hem of her white lace dress fluttering in the honey-scented breeze that seemed to always perfume Pitticairn’s countryside. The lush, hydrangea-like blooms of the keandra vines overtaking the latticework shielded her from view of the wedding guests but allowed her a glimpse of her two grooms waiting beneath the arbor with Pastor Tom Fowler, Mama Tab’s brother.

  Her heart swelled to overflowing at the sight of Rand and Braeden, both so breathtakingly gorgeous in their matching tuxedoes. Miraculously, it hadn’t taken much arm twisting to convince Braeden to wear clothes for the ceremony. More than likely though, there were plenty of females—and a few males—in attendance who were disappointed at being deprived of getting an eyeful of Braeden and Rand in the buff.

  The clip-clop of hooves announced Gus’s approach. “You ready to do this, hot mama?”

  She straightened the unicorn’s bowtie before nodding.

  “Are you sure? ’Cause we still have plenty of time to elope, you know. Or at least have a quickie in the woods.”

  “That’s mighty tempting, but no.”

  His wounded sigh impressively dramatic, Gus preceded her down the steps. A trio of fairies lifted their flutes and filled the air with their sweet music, hushing the assemblage. Every head turned in Vanessa’s direction, but the only ones that truly mattered were Rand’s and Braeden’s. Even from several yards away, there was no mistaking the love reflecting in their eyes—a mirror to the emotion welling within her soul. Overwhelming happiness and a deep sense of rightness settled over her. For once in her life, no fearful voice held her back.

  Quickening her pace, she followed Gus down the flower-strewn runner, her focus locked on Rand and Braeden. As if picking up on the joyful calling in her heart, her two mates reached for her, pulling her into the circle of their arms. The three of them indulged in a passionate kiss tha
t resulted in ribald catcalls from the wedding guests and an inappropriate comment from Gus that earned him an ear tweak from Vanessa. His cheeks blazing red, Pastor Fowler cleared his throat. “If everyone’s ready, we’ll begin. Do we have the unity rings?”

  Tabby joined them and after gifting Vanessa, Rand and Braeden with fierce hugs, she passed over the rings. Each gold band was inscribed with a manitope clover leaf—the symbol of eternity within the pooka community. Vanessa’s eyes welled up all over again as Rand and Braeden each kissed her fingertips before sliding her ring in place. When it came time for her to repeat the gesture for her mates, the tears she valiantly tried to blink away broke loose. Not so long ago, she would have felt ridiculous, exposing her emotions in front of a crowd of strangers. But almost losing Rand and Braeden had changed everything. She’d never again take love for granted, and she didn’t care if the entire universe knew it.

  After they each spoke the vows that would forever seal their mated bond, and Pastor Fowler pronounced them husband, husband and wife, Rand and Braeden shared the honor of tipping her into their arms and beelining for the cottage. More wicked hooting and hollering erupted from the assembled guests, and Vanessa gave a mock sigh. “You do realize we’ll be the talk of Pitticairn for at least the next century, right?”

  Their grins completely unrepentant, Rand and Braeden hustled toward the porch steps, but drew to a halt when Cooper McKenzie blocked their path. Her ex-boss looked a little embarrassed about thwarting a mid-wedding nookie session. As he should be.

  “Uh, Vanessa, do you have a moment?”

  “Nope.” Hooking her arms tighter around her mates when they started to set her on her feet, she glared at Cooper. “You’re not ruining my wedding day by begging me for the millionth time to come back to the agency.”

  “Sweetest, maybe you should at least hear the man out.”

  “Rand’s right, darlin’. You don’t want to make a decision like this without getting all the details first.” Braeden gave Cooper a shrewd look. “I’m sure your former employer would be more than willing to double your salary and give you an extra two weeks of vacation.”