Page 67 of Secret Pucking Unicorn

My heart sinks. I can’t be the reason Miranda loses this.

“No, you can’t do that,” I say. “If we can’t work it out then trade me. Or I’ll quit and forfeit my salary. She loves working for the team. She loves hockey. Do you know she was a two-time state champion?”

“She was?” he asks. “I didn’t know she played.”

“She did, right wing. She was wonderful. Her dream is to get a front office job with a major sports franchise, and she hopes it’s here with the Devil Birds. I’m not going to be the reason she doesn’t get the chance.”

“Well, then, make sure you get it straightened out. I don’t want to lose either one of you.”

“Please make sure Miranda knows her job isn’t at risk. Even if we aren’t together, she doesn’t

have to leave. Don’t tell her I volunteered to go, though, tell her you’d choose her to stay. That matters to her.”

Coach looks at me, not saying a word. It’s uncomfortable. Finally, he nods.

“Okay. But I pray you two work out whatever craziness is happening and are happy. You two are a good match for each other. This past week was the happiest I’ve ever seen Randi. You bring out a side of her she hasn’t shown before.”

Hopefully both of our prayers are answered.

25

MIRANDA

I don’t know what to think. Declan’s hand is broken. Sophie is being vicious. My head is foggy, nothing makes sense. I thought this was going to be a wonderful year. It’s by far the worst one of my life and we’re not even through the first week. I love him, but there is a wall between us. Trevor is following me down the tunnel. I hate he’s missing practice but I’m grateful to have my best friend with me.

“Do you want water?” I ask as we enter my office.

At his nod, I go through to the dining room and grab bottles for each of us. I grab a bottle of orange juice, too. Maybe my blood sugar is low? I take a seat on the sofa and Trevor sits next to me, stretching his arm along the back, inviting me to snuggle against him. I don’t even care if he’s sweaty from practice—I need the comfort.

“Randi, what’s going on with you? You were all in love with Declan and now you can’t stand to be near him. I know you’re not fickle.”

I sigh. “Trevor, I’m so confused. I do love Declan. I’ve always loved him. But he’s kept secrets from me for years. Important secrets. I’m a witch, apparently? And he didn’t tell me. How could he do that and claim he loves me?”

“Randi, Mac thought you knew. He thought you were being private about your powers, that’s why he never brought it up. Did you guys ever talk about him being a wolf shifter?”

“No. Why would we? I don’t know anything about shifting and when we saw each other, we had other things to talk about.”

“Exactly. If you didn’t talk about him being a shifter, why would you talk about you being a witch?”

I fidget uncomfortably, and he wraps his arm around my shoulder. It’s embarrassing to say what I need to say, but Carter is the person I can trust.

“I don’t believe I really am a witch. I think Declan and Sophie were teasing me like they did when we were kids. I think Brick played along with it. I never turned anyone else into a shifter before. If I’ve had powers all these years, why hasn’t that happened?”

“How often do you point at people and tell them to shift?”

He has a point. “Well, never. But you’d think other things would have happened. What if I pointed at you and commanded you to shift right now, would it work?”

He shrugs and the mountain of pads he’s wearing moves beneath my cheek.

“I don’t know. You can try. This is going to sound crazy, but yesterday you had this…energy…about you that you had never had before, and you don’t have today. The witches I’ve known have kind of…I don’t know…a frequency humming in the background. I feel it with Teagan. I felt it when I met Bedard’s mother. I feel it with Mac’s mom. Sophie has it, but more faintly. You had it yesterday, and it was at a super high frequency—the most I felt from anyone. But it’s gone now.”

I stand and start pacing my office. “So maybe Sophie put a spell on me as a joke and it’s worn off. My mother says I’m not a witch. She is, but the powers didn’t pass down to me. I’m human.” I nod decisively. “What happened yesterday was a joke. Sophie’s mad at me for some reason, maybe because I’m with Declan. I don’t know. This is her way of getting back at me.”

Trevor steeples his fingers and rests his chin on them. It’s his thinking pose. “That’s possible, I guess. But why would she do that? She’s supposed to be one of your best friends. This is hurting her brother, who she loves, not just you. I don’t know. Something is weird here. You’re not acting like yourself.”

I throw my hands up. “Until last week, you hadn’t seen me in a year and a half. Who I was in college is not the same as who I am now. You don’t know who I am.”

Trevor stands and wraps me in a hug. “Randi, you haven’t changed that much. You are the same kind, sweet, and shy woman I’ve known since you were eighteen years old. Some things don’t change.”

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