Page 11 of Holy Shift (New Orleans Nocturnes #8)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Destiny leaned against the kitchen counter, warming her hands with a mug of coffee and watching the softest, silkiest bunny she’d ever seen sleep on the couch. Holy fluff. Crimson wasn’t kidding about the side effects of that spell.

After they’d fallen—and she’d realized the reason wasn’t because he wanted to hop down her bunny trail—she’d wiggled out from under him and taken off his shoes. She’d covered him with a blanket, which he had knocked to the floor, and now, he lay there in rabbit form, snuggled up like a little ball of cottony fluff.

She padded barefoot into the living room and sank onto the cushion next to him, her heart sinking along with her body. If she didn’t get herself together and fix him, he’d become an animal permanently. No more gazing into his deep, jewel-green eyes. No more pep talks from the Easter Bunny. No more kissing the Easter Bunny…

Her sinking stomach fluttered.

She’d told him everything last night, laid out all her flubs and screw-ups before him like a buffet of reasons for him to squash his growing feelings for her and run away.

But he’d stayed.

Not just stayed. He’d acted on his feelings and kissed her. And what a kiss it was. She closed her eyes to play it over again in her mind, her lips curling into a smile of their volition. He’d been gentle yet purposeful, his body and his energy making certain she understood there was nowhere in all the realms where he would rather be.

For a moment, she’d felt the same way.

She sipped her coffee and gazed at the sleeping bunny, wariness tightening her eyes. The last time she’d caught feelings for someone, she’d caused a catastrophe. She had no right to entertain the idea of having a romantic relationship with Pete.

Then again, Pete’s catastrophe had already happened. Maybe, if she treaded carefully, she could…

“Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer.”

Destiny shot from the couch and covered her mouth. “You can talk. And in bad clichés!”

The rabbit wiggled his nose, making a snickering sound. “I’ve been talking to you for days.”

“Not in your rabbit form.” She waved a hand toward him. “Regular shifters can’t talk in their animal forms.”

He stretched out his front paws, sticking his furry backside into the air like a downward dog pose. Then he shifted his weight forward and yawned. “I’m not a regular shifter, remember?”

Destiny’s eyes widened as his rabbit form morphed into the tall, sexy, fully clothed (unfortunately) man. No, not unfortunately. If she were going to see him naked, she’d rather be the one to disrobe him. Slowly. Piece by piece until the anticipation consumed her. Was it getting hot in there? She fought the urge to fan herself.

“Good morning.” He flashed a lopsided smile. “Got any more of that delicious-smelling coffee? Is that a hint of hazelnut I detect?”

“It’s pecan.” She returned the smile, unable to tear her gaze away from his glittering, otherworldly eyes. One look in the mirror should prove to him he was no run-of-the-mill shifter.

“Mind if I grab a cup?”

“Oh. Yes, I’ll get it for you.” Finally, she snapped out of her trance and scurried to the kitchen to pour him a mug. “I usually have yogurt with fruit and granola for breakfast…when I’m not binge-eating éclair filling. Is that okay with you?”

“Either sounds delicious.” His voice came from right behind her, making her jump.

Coffee sloshed onto the counter, and she set the cup down before spinning around to face him. “You move like a ninja.”

“Sorry for scaring you.” He pulled a few paper towels off the roll and cleaned up the mess. “How did I end up sleeping on the couch? Last night is foggy.”

Her stomach did a weird flip-floppy thing before her abdomen clenched. Last night was foggy? Did he seriously not remember her pulling all the skeletons out of her closet and letting him dance with them?

Did he not remember the kiss?

She swallowed the thickness from her throat and refilled his mug. “You passed out like Crimson said you might do. I gave you a blanket.” She handed him the mug.

He sniffed the contents, smiling before taking a sip. “It tastes as good as it smells. That reminds me of something.” He flicked his gaze to hers before dropping it to her lips. “Did we kiss last night, or did I dream it?”

A maniacal giggle bubbled up from her chest, and she pressed her fingers to her lips. She could tell him no. Let him believe he dreamed the whole thing. That would be the responsible thing to do. Experience told her mixing business with pleasure worked out as well as baking with salt instead of sugar.

But that would be a lie. Unlike the seraphs in middle management and above, earthbound angels were quite capable of fibbing. Sometimes they had to tell little white lies to help guide people to make good decisions.

But lying to Pete, whether it would help their situation or not, felt wrong. Something deep inside her soul wouldn’t allow her to utter a single falsehood to this man.

“I hope it wasn’t a dream.” He arched a brow, holding her gaze.

“It was real.” She cleared her throat and turned to the fridge, busying herself with making breakfast. “I have to go down and work on a few cakes that are being picked up today. Hopefully a bit of normalness will help me think of a way to restore your memories. Though, if Eostre herself couldn’t do it, I’m not sure what help I’ll be. At the very least, we need a way for you to cross realms so you can deliver the eggs.”

“So we’re not going to talk about it, then?” He sank into a chair at the table, and she set a bowl in front of him.

“Talk about what?” She sat across from him, stirring her spoon through the yogurt. The kiss had happened. He just said he hoped he didn’t dream it, so why was she making things so awkward? Get yourself together, girl. It’s obvious he likes you.

Her cheeks heated at the thought, and she fought her smile. He did like her. Very obviously.

“Destiny.” He reached across the table, resting his hand on hers. “Did I go too far? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Too far?” She set down her spoon and finally gathered her courage. Flashing a playful grin, she laced her fingers with his and looked into his eyes. “You didn’t go too far. I was ready for you to fall down my rabbit hole.”

His brows shot toward his hairline, and she ate a spoonful of yogurt, holding his gaze as the butterflies in her stomach choreographed a lively ballet. Yep, she just said that. Out loud. To the Easter Bunny. Holy fuzz balls.

He grinned and tugged from her grasp. “It’s a shame I passed out. I’d have hopped right to it.”

“‘Here Comes Peter Cottontail’ would’ve had a whole new meaning.” She bit her bottom lip as he cringed.

“Too corny. Forget I said that.” She shoveled a mound of granola into her mouth to stop herself from talking.

“No, I like a little corn as much as the next guy, but…” His brow furrowed as he stared into his bowl. “I don’t like that name. I hate it, actually, but I don’t know why.” He lifted his gaze to hers, and the knot in her gut untied itself.

“A memory! That’s good!” She grabbed her phone from the charger. “Maybe if I play the song for you, it’ll knock something loose.”

“Don’t—”

Too late. She found the song on YouTube half a second before his protest, and it auto-played. No commercial first, since she paid extra for the app to be ad-free. Pete sighed and closed his eyes, his mouth tightening in annoyance as the tune continued.

She swiped the app away before the song could finish. “Anything?”

“Just that I really, really hate it. The nickname and especially the song.” He spooned another bite into his mouth.

“Interesting.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “I wonder what else might stir up something from your past.”

She glanced at the wall clock. “Heavens to Beelzebub. I need to get to work.”

Yes, there were things far more important for her to deal with than cake, but what else could she do? If neither a witch nor a goddess could make Pete remember how to be the Easter Bunny, her only choice was to try something mundane. Maybe if they just chatted as she fell into the rhythm of her work… She took two massive bites of her breakfast and carried her bowl to the sink.

He followed and placed his bowl next to hers, gripping her hand as she reached for the faucet. “I’ll take care of this. You’ve got cakes to bake.”

“I…” She started to protest that he was a guest in her home and shouldn’t be doing housework, but she was short on time. “Are you sure?”

“Yep, and who knows? Maybe I’ll remember I hate washing dishes too.” He winked, and her butterflies danced again.

“Thank you.” She laid a dishtowel next to the sink.

“Mind if I hop in your shower before I come down to help you?” He turned on the faucet and rinsed a bowl.

“Of course. Your clothes are still in the dryer. You might set it to the freshen-up cycle if they’re too wrinkled.” She hesitated at the top of the stairs, turning toward him.

He shut off the faucet and dried his hands on the dishtowel. “I’ll be down in just a minute. Everything’s going to be okay.”

She really, really wanted to believe him.

* * *

Pete showered and changed out of his borrowed clothes, folding them neatly and laying them on the bathroom counter before heading downstairs to help the beautiful, sweet, incredibly stressed-out angel who had taken him in.

The staircase ended in the kitchen, and he found Destiny in front of an industrial-sized stand mixer filled with green icing. She angled the mixing paddle up and used a silicon spoon to scrape the frosting off it before twisting the bowl and unlocking it from its base.

“That’s a lot of frosting,” he said, peering over her shoulder and making her jump.

“Oh, heavens.” She set the bowl on the counter next to a series of round cakes. “I need to put a bell on you. No one should move that quietly, the fae included.”

“I’ll remember to announce my presence next time.” He laughed and backed away, giving her room to work while he contemplated her words.

Fae. Destiny wouldn’t lie to him. He felt that from the tips of his ears to the fluff on his toes. If she said he was the Easter Bunny, then he was the Easter Bunny. He no longer doubted it, but there was one glaring problem. He still didn’t feel like a fae. Not that he knew what being a fae felt like, but he needed to figure it out soon.

“Did you know me before this happened?” he asked.

Destiny scooped a blob of icing and spread it onto the biggest section of cake. “Sadly, no.”

“Why do you say sadly?”

Her hands moved with otherworldly dexterity as she covered the sides of the cake, smoothing the frosting until not a single swipe mark remained. She didn’t look at him, instead moving on to a smaller section as she spoke. “If it isn’t obvious, I kinda like you.”

“I kinda like you too. More than kinda.”

“I like you a lot.” She met his gaze, and a pink blush spread across her cheeks, making his stomach flutter and his rabbit thump.

“What if this isn’t me, though? What if, after I get my memories back, I’m not like this at all? What if I’m an asshole?”

Her laugh reminded him of music, soft and cheerful. “I doubt the goddess of spring would have granted you this status if you were an asshole. She seems like a kind, pleasant woman.”

That was true. Eostre did seem kind when she visited them last night, but Pete also got the feeling she was hiding something, that the story was much more complex than she’d let on.

“I think this you is the you at your core,” Destiny continued. “Everything’s been stripped away. No past experiences or traumas are shaping your view of the world right now, so this is the most authentic version of yourself you can be. That won’t change.”

“I hope not.”

“You are who you are.” The conviction and sincerity in her eyes made his chest tighten. “And you’re…”

“I’m the Easter Bunny,” he said, which, sounded so weird he couldn’t help but laugh. It also felt…real.

She smiled. “Yes, you are.”

A cloud tried to lift in his mind. For a brief…excruciatingly brief…moment, something cleared. A memory or idea or something tried to break through. He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing and then blinking rapidly when his pinched-face expression did nothing to help him grab onto it.

“Are you okay?” Destiny asked.

The memory was there, so close…until it wasn’t. He shrugged, sighing as his shoulders dropped. “It felt like I was going to remember something for a second there.”

“Words have power, so I’m not surprised. Something as simple as saying things aloud can actually bring them to fruition.”

“Angel 101?” he teased.

“Exactly.” She picked up a section of frosted cake and positioned it on top of the biggest circle.

Words have power… Could it really be that easy? Hell, it was worth a shot. “I’m the Easter Bunny,” he said again, willing the light of memory to peek through the fog. “I’m the Easter Bunny.”

Destiny continued assembling the cake. “Damn right, you are. You’re the Easter Bunny.”

“The Easter Bunny is me.”

Her laugh was contagious. “He sure is.”

“Hi, I’m Pete Hasen, and I’m the Easter Bunny.” He held out his hand, and she played along, shaking it.

“Are you sure?” She arched a brow. “I’d like to see some ID.”

“No problem, ma’am.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

Destiny’s eyes widened as he tugged a faery realm identification card from an inside slot. “Pete!” Her mouth dropped open, and she snatched the card. “Where did this come from?”

“From my…” He frowned at the wallet in his hand. “I don’t know. I just reached for it, and it was there.”

“You have magic pockets! This is good. You’re remembering how to use your powers.” She handed the ID to him, and he examined it.

The card listed his name, height, eye color, and an address on Lucky Foot Lane. His photo occupied the top left corner, but seeing his own eyes staring back at him wasn’t the strangest thing. “Is that supposed to be my birthday? I think there’s a digit missing.”

Destiny stood next to him, her shoulder resting against his arm as she peered at the card. “March 1, 316. I supposed that’s right.”

“That would make me over seventeen hundred years old.”

“Mm-hmm.” She returned to her cake without batting an eye.

“You don’t find that hard to believe?”

“From one immortal being to another, no. Not at all.” She filled a bag with white frosting and attached a metal tip to one end. “My half-millennium mark is coming up soon.”

He returned the card to his wallet and shoved it into his back pocket, where it completely disappeared. Just like that. “Look at this.” He patted his butt and turned around, gesturing for her to do the same. “Feel it.”

“That’s okay. I don’t need to feel your butt.” Her cheeks pinkened again as she reached toward his backside, fisting her hand and jerking it away before she cleared her throat. “I can see.”

He slipped his hand into it and moved it around. “It’s gone.”

“Until you need it again. You have some type of glamour magic, which isn’t surprising.” She filled another icing bag, and a timer pinged across the room.

“No, it’s really gone.” He tried to grab it from the nothingness in his pocket, but his fingers only brushed the fabric of his pants. “If it were simple glamour, it would still be there.”

“Then it’s not simple.” Destiny strode to the oven and opened the door, a cloud of black smoke billowing out as she bent down. “Oh, dear. Oh, no!”