Chapter 2.
Pascale.
MY HEART RACED A MILLIONmiles an hour. The girl exiting the local diner was too cute for words. With her long blonde hair, a gorgeous little up-turned nose, and skin as pale and creamy as pure milk, she looked positively delicious. But the more concerning issue—and what I should be most worried about—was that she shouldn’t have been able to see me in the first place! No-one could, or should, except other magicals who knew of me—and I was pretty sure she wasn’t one of them.
But as I run through the car park in the middle of the early hours, she’d turned to stare directly at me. And in that moment my stomach had dropped, and my heart had thumped hard and fast like a drum. I’d never felt such an incredibly overwhelming sensation. But I hadn’t had the time to stop and explore whatever it was. I was far too busy to think about anything except my job anymore and so I continued on my way, disappearing into the tree line just to be safe.
I completed my usual exercise routine, running across most of the state, before following up with some weights. It was high season for us, and all my bunny helpers were gearing up for the madness that was Easter Sunday—our busiest day of the year. So, I couldn’t afford to let my fitness drop. If anything, I needed it more now than I did around Halloween or Christmas, when Easter wasn’t even a thought on anyone’s mind. Deliveries meant speed, so I needed to maintain my A-game. A slow Easter Bunny was not something that could be abided. It was unheard of. I’d never allow myself to bring dishonor to my kind.
Imagine the shame!
When I finally made it back to my hideout, I opened the secret, hidden door and slid down the steep chute, sliding down two floors before landing on a trampoline which promptly launched me into the first room of the burrow. I brushed the dirt from my hands and quickly unlaced my running shoes. I needed a shower desperately, but now wasn’t the time. I had to shift form before I hopped beneath the water, and around Easter it was almost impossible to keep my hold on my human side; the power of the season and work took over, dominating all aspects of my life.
I opened the door and walked through the main corridor from which all our rooms fed off. Every bunny and worker down here had their own space, and there were communal living and eating areas that accommodated us all comfortably. There were also the expected work rooms for making chocolates, packing baskets and presents, and organizing deliveries.
My friend Robbie greeted me with enthusiasm. “Hey, Pascale! Are you just getting home now?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m a bit late I know, but I was full of energy from the day. I had to burn some of it off or I wouldn’t manage a wink.”
Robbie checked his watch, one of the only ways we had of telling time beneath the soil. “It’s damn close to four AM,” he warned.
“Great,” I said with a grin. “Then there’s just enough time for me to grab a quick nap. I’ll see you at breakfast.”
Robbie just smiled and shook his head at my antics as he headed off to the workrooms.
We only had night shift workers active the month before Easter, to help us keep up with the insane demand. Though we were all rabbit shifters, I was the official Easter Bunny. It was an inherited, familial title and position, just like Santa Claus. My father had been the last Easter Bunny, and I was his oldest child, and only son. So, the honor and burden had automatically become mine.
Unlike regular rabbits, our kind didn’t birth large litters of babies—but the sex drive was definitely there. The drive to mate and rut was a constant itch that needed to be scratched. And in truth, it was half the reason I worked out and trained so hard, it helped keep my physical needs at bay... at least for a time.
After a long day, the shower beckoned with a siren’s call, so I gave in like a proverbial moth to the flame. Stretching my limbs, I soaped up and rinsed off, soaking in the relieving heat of the water before taking a hair dryer to my fur. Being unable to shift back entirely to form human at this time of year was a royal pain in the ass. Nothing made me feel less like a man, hell... less human, than having to dry my fur like a bedraggled poodle before I could even crawl into bed.
Half an hour later, thanks to the power of our industrial strength hair dryers, I slipped between the clean sheets of my bed in my very own cool, dark room. After the frantic nature of the season, it felt heavenly to lay down and just be still. With the weight of physically induced exhaustion whispering through every bone in my body I promptly passed out for a few precious hours of much needed sleep.
Sometime later, I awoke in a damp, hot sweat, my cock pulsing painfully with my seed. “Oh... god...” I breathed, wincing against the unexpected pleasure. I had no choice but to seize the shaft and squeeze, milking the last vestiges of ecstasy from my unexpected orgasm.
My body bowed as my gut tightened with the final spurts of cum, then I collapsed back onto my bed. “What the hell was that?” I whispered to the dark, letting my eyes float shut and the bliss of sexual release descend over my body. I couldn’t even remember what I’d been dreaming about. What had prompted such an extreme and entirely unexpected response?
Then, out of nowhere, images of a woman assaulted me like I’d switched on a movie in my brain. Her lovely blonde hair was spread out over my pillow, her head thrown back in sheer bliss as I ploughed into her lush body with wild abandon. She reached up and touched my face with a beautiful reverence I’d never experienced. Then she lifted her head and looked straight into my eyes, piercing my very soul.
I recognized those eyes. There was no mistaking them. Gasping out loud, I sat up in bed, reaching for my lamp switch. “Oh, fuck...” I’d seen that young woman last night in the parking lot by the diner. She was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous in fact, but that wasn’t what concerned me. She was human and my mate. I knew it. As sure as I was the Easter Bunny, that blonde human was meant to be mine. “Fuck!”
Talk about timing!
Now, I had to find her, and somehow explain all of this. My whole world, our magical existence. Everything! “Damn it.”
I got up and stumbled straight to the shower, wanting to be rid of the smell of sweat and cum that lingered in the air and in my gray fur. “Yuck.” Yet another reason that I hated being unable to shift back to being human—not even for a minute—not until Easter Sunday was done. Then I could relax and wind down for another year.
Having washed myself for the second time in a matter of hours, I dried off again and pulled on some pants. It was time to get to work. I grabbed a quick breakfast, then headed to the chocolate workshop. Today, we were making chocolate bunnies and painted eggs, the traditional favorites of kids everywhere. “Hey Tommy,” I said, greeting the young rabbit standing at a nearby bench.
“Hey, EB,” he responded with a grin.
I rolled my eyes. I’d told the young ones a million times that my name was Pascale; yet no matter how many times I reminded them, they seemed determined to call me the Easter Bunny in some form or another. “You know Pascale means, born on Easter or Easter child,” I said. “It’s practically the same.”
Tommy shook his head with a cheeky gleam in his eye. “Nope, it’s not the same, EB.”
I laughed. Clearly, I wasn’t winning this battle of wills anytime soon, so I got back to work. With a concerted effort I forced my mind to the task at hand, to focus, and not think about the woman I’d seen in the early hours.
My mate.
But my mind kept returning to the most pressing issue. She was human, which meant she wasn’t going to understand how I was both a shifter and the Easter Bunny. Learning about magicals at all was too much for almost any mortal to handle. But ultimately, I wouldn’t have a choice. I’d have to tell her and hope for the best. However, commonsense dictated that I should wait until after Easter to find her and explain. Getting involved and dealing with any potential fallout during the holidays was just an impossible thought. I couldn’t compromise my duties like that. Although, I had no way of knowing if I could hold out that long, if my heart could take that sort of punishment.
But we’ll have forever together, won’t we?
“You okay, EB?” Tommy asked me, interrupting my train of thought.
I blinked and stared down at my workstation where I’d made the ugliest, and most unbalanced chocolate bunny I’d ever seen.
Wow! Crap.
I let the stress of my situation out in a laugh. “Yeah, ah... I just think I need to take a quick break.”
“Where are you going to go?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
I thought about it for a moment before deciding. “I think I might pop out to see Amery. She’s a... well, she was a cupid. I’ve known her for years now.”
Tommy frowned at me, a question in his eyes. “Was?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she fell in love with another cupid, and they were forbidden to be together, so they chose to fall together. And now they’re human.”
Tommy grimaced like most boys would do when confronted with the idea of true love and romance. “That sounds kind of... lame,” he said, his nose wrinkling.
I laughed, because Tommy was a typical sixteen-year-old, despite being a rabbit shifter, and the last thing he could imagine was turning his life upside down and inside out for love.
I washed my hands, then waved to him. “I’ll see you in a few hours, buddy. Keep up the good work!”
Tommy nodded and got back it.
I walked past three other shifters as I made my way back to my bedroom to change into a disguise. Technically humans shouldn’t be able to see me at all, but I still felt strange and a little vulnerable being around humans in my rabbit form. Normally it wouldn’t matter because I’d be able to shift back to being a man in the blink of an eye; but being the month of Easter, I simply couldn’t. And I didn’t make a habit of running around humans in my rabbit form willy nilly, and I certainly didn’t allow the shifters under my care to endanger themselves either.
With that in mind I grabbed an oversized hoodie and pulled the hood up to cover my ears and face. Then came a pair of gloves for my furry hands, and large boots for my bunny feet. It felt ridiculously uncomfortable, but I couldn’t risk anyone seeing me. Our existence was meant to remain a secret, like that of the angels. And even if our natural shifter invisibility should protect us, I didn’t want to take any chances. There was no harm in playing it extra safe, anyway.
A little discomfort never killed anyone.
When I was dressed, I headed out of our burrow and back to the surface. The air was fresh, but it was getting warm out, which of course meant I was already starting to sweat in this damn abomination of a getup. Determined to get my head straight, I started jogging toward town and Amery. By the time I arrived, it was almost nine o’clock in the morning and there were people everywhere. Cars drove past at speed, and I kept my eyes firmly fixed on the footpath.
When I finally got to Amery’s place, I bounded up the steps two at a time and made my way to the front door. There were two cars parked in the driveway, so I had to hope that Valentine hadn’t gone to work yet. Bracing myself, I knocked on the door, my heart pounding from the stress of my recent discovery as much as the strenuous exercise. I really hated not being able to shift back to human form, I really fucking did. This was the perfect moment in which I just needed ten minutes grace so no one else saw me.
The door swung open, and Amery’s frown turned into a bright smile. “Pascale! It’s so good to see you.”
“Can I come in?” I asked, swallowing a lump in my throat.
“Oh yes, of course! Please, come in. I have a friend over, but she won’t mind.”
I shut the door behind me and quickly disrobed, throwing my sweaty hoodie, gloves, and shoes to the floor, leaving on just my pants.
Amery stood watching me with an eyebrow raised and a playful smirk on her face. “You know, you’re lucky Val’s not here. He wouldn’t like you stripping down in our foyer like this.”
I stopped with my pants still safely in place. “Listen, I’m in rabbit form, angel. And I’m still covered from head to foot in fur. I’m not exactly naked over here.”
Amery laughed then opened her arms wide for a hug. “I’m so happy to see you Pascale. What a lovely surprise.”
I stepped forward and hugged the former cupid, comforted by her friendly familiarity. “It’s good to see you too, Amery.” I squeezed her tight. When I let go, my fur suddenly stood on end as another feminine gasp filled the room. I spun around on my heel and standing right there in the doorway that led to the living room was the woman of my dreams, my beautiful blonde... and very human mate.
Oh, fuck.