by Zoe Chant
He laughed out loud, his arms coming up to hold her tight. “Don’t get too excited just yet. I have to warn you, the ranch is pretty derelict. The stables and barns are still standing, but the house apparently burned to the ground years ago. We’ll be living out of a trailer for a while. It’s going to be a lot of hard work.”
“But we’ll do it together.” She hugged him back, feeling his deep, quiet joy rising to meet hers, shimmering down the mate bond. “One day at a time.”
Epilogue
Very few brides were escorted down the aisle by unicorns.
Flash went first, proudly bearing the rings aloft on her tiny horn. Joe grinned at the ripple that went through the crowd as the young unicorn pranced between the flower-decked rows of seats.
“Good thing everyone here is either a shifter or knows about us,” he murmured to Blaise, who was sitting next to him. “Otherwise we’d have a lot of explaining to do.”
Blaise elbowed him in the ribs. “Shut up. Here they come.”
Sunrise and Bethany were next, the human bridesmaid bearing both a bouquet and a distinct how-is-this-my-life expression. The vet had been in on the secret of the unicorns for months now, but still hadn’t fully adjusted to her expanded reality.
Sunrise, of course, was as serene as ever, luminous as the full moon. White roses and forget-me-nots were woven into her rippling mane. A hint of roundness to her flanks showed that Flash would soon have a new baby brother or sister. Sunrise paced solemnly at Bethany’s side, but her blue eyes danced with delight.
And last, but by no means least, came Candice.
Her dress was as perfectly white as the unicorns’ coats, brilliant in the warm May sunshine. Her smile shone brighter than their horns.
Joe turned to look at Wystan, waiting for his bride at the front of the gathering under an arch of white roses. Rory stood by his side in his role of best man, magnificent in full kilt, grinning from ear to ear. And Wystan…
The pure joy filling Wystan’s face sent a stab of pain through Joe’s heart. Happy as he was for his friend, it was abruptly too much.
“Joe!” Blaise hissed as he sidled away from his seat. “Where are you going?”
“Usher duties,” he improvised. “Got to check everything’s ready for the reception after the ceremony. Be back in a sec.”
It was generally hard to escape unobtrusively when you were nearly seven feet tall. Fortunately, everyone else was too enraptured with the bride to pay him any attention. Grateful that Candice and Wystan had decided to hold their wedding outside at their new ranch, he fled.
The music faded behind him as he ducked into one of the barns. The inside of the freshly-restored building was draped in silk and flower garlands, the plank floor polished and gleaming, ready for the dancing later. Trestle tables laden with refreshments lined the walls, awaiting the guests.
He snagged the nearest bottle of wine, popping the cork off with his thumb. Leaning back against the wall, he raised the bottle to his mouth, already anticipating the comforting numbness.
Someone said his name. Not his human name. His real name. All thirty-eight rolling, liquid syllables.
There was only one person who called him that.
Joe sighed, letting the bottle fall back, untouched. “Hi, Dad.”
Light gleamed from polished steel armor as his father moved out of the shadows. Deep blue eyes fixed on him in a familiar expression of disappointment. “You are supposed to be at the ceremony.”
Joe gave the bottle of wine one last longing look, and returned it to the table. “So are you.”
“I am the Imperial Consort, Champion of the Pearl Throne, Guardian of the Empress.” His father touched the hilt of his sword, slung as ever across his shoulders. “It is my duty to stay on guard, ready to meet any threat that might dare to attack your mother.”
Joe raised a skeptical eyebrow. “At a party?”
The pearl set into the pommel of the sword winked at him as his father shifted his shoulders, looking a little rueful. “Also, weddings make me cry. Which is not entirely befitting the dignity of the Pearl Throne. Why are you not witnessing your companion’s hour of triumph?”
Bitter jealousy rose in his throat. He swallowed it back, pasting a carefree grin onto his face instead. “Oh, you know. Not big on true love and eternal commitment, me.”
“Yes,” his father said, distinct disapproval darkening his tone. “I know. I hope that you are not planning to do anything that might dishonor your name.”
“Well, at least you don’t need to fear catching me with one of the bridesmaids.” Joe started to duck out the door again. “Great talk, Dad. We must do this again next year. Bye.”
“Wait.” Something in his father’s voice made him pause, though he didn’t look back. “I wish to speak with you further.”
Joe sighed again. “How have I brought shame upon the ocean this time?”
“You have not.” His father cleared his throat. “Your mother and I are…proud of you, son.”
That did make him turn. “Who are you and what have you done with my father?”
His father looked down at his gauntleted hands. “I am aware that we have not enjoyed the easiest of relationships. I must admit, when I coerced you to join Rory’s firefighting squad, I did not have high hopes that you would rise to the challenge.”
That sounded a lot more like the father he knew. Joe relaxed a little, no longer looking for the tell-tale signs of demonic possession. “I’m happy that I once again failed to meet your expectations.”
His father blew out his breath, looking annoyed. “Please drop your foolishness for one minute. I am trying to say that I was wrong. I thought to punish you for your frivolous ways, force you to experience true hardship. I secretly hoped that you would end up begging me to allow you to return to the sea and finally take up your duties as the Heir to the Pearl Throne. But…you have won a true place for yourself here. You have fought with honor, guarded your companions against a foe that none of us knew existed. You have more than proven yourself.”
Joe stared at him, still half-expecting some kind of trap. “I’m still not coming back to the sea, if that’s what you’re getting at. It may not have been my idea to join the squad, but they’re my family now. They need me here.”
“Yes,” his father agreed quietly. “They do. Now more than ever, with these strange demonic forces threatening the land. I am glad that you are staying. But I am also worried. As is your mother. You are our only son. More than that, you are the Heir. You will be the next Pearl Emperor. The sea cannot afford to lose you.”
“So I’ll be careful,” Joe said, shrugging. “Is that all?”
“No.” His father drew himself up to his full height. “Your mother and I spoke on this matter, before we came here. We agreed to let you stay, but only on one condition.”
“What?” Joe said warily.
His father moved to one side, turning. “That you agree to accept a bodyguard.”
Someone stepped out of the shadows. Someone pale and slight, clad from head to foot in form-fitting armor. Her fierce, guarded eyes met his—
“Joe! Joe!”
Joe jerked upright, heart hammering. Wystan let go of his shoulder, backing off with upraised hands.
“You were having a nightmare,” his friend said. “You were yelling loudly enough that I heard you all the way up in the hayloft.”
Joe stared around, sweat clammy on his skin. He was tangled up in his bedroll. He remembered laying it out against the side of the barn. In the distance, he could make out the gleaming white forms of the unicorn herd, napping together in a field. The ranch lay still and peaceful under the stars.
Not Wystan and Candice’s ranch. Not yet.
That hadn’t happened yet.
“I can’t come to your wedding,” he blurted out.
Wystan stared at him as though he’d just announced he couldn’t go to Mars. “Candice and I only just got together. We haven’t exactly started discussing date
s yet.”
“You’re getting married next May. Pick the eighteenth. The weather will be good.” Joe scrubbed his hands over his face, still fighting free from the too-real vision. “But I can’t come. Sorry.”
Wystan patted his shoulder tentatively. “All…right. That’s fine, Joe. You just lie down. Go back to sleep.”
“Yeah,” Joe muttered, letting his friend pull his blanket back over him. “Okay.”
He stared up at the stars, head whirling with his unwanted power.
The power that he’d never told anyone about.
“May,” he muttered to himself. He closed his eyes. “A lot can happen before then. It’ll be okay. I’ll find a way out. I always do.”
He had until May to work out how to avoid meeting his mate.
Or else she would die.
Joe meets his doom in Wildfire Sea Dragon
- coming soon!
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Have you read the first Fire & Rescue Shifters series, featuring the parents of the Wildfire Crew?
If not, binge the complete series starting with Firefighter Dragon
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for reading Wildfire Unicorn! I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider leaving a review on Amazon - I would be incredibly grateful for your feedback, even if it’s just a few words!
I’m hard at work on Wildfire Sea Dragon - if you’d like me to email you when it’s available, click here to join my mailing list.
Have you read the original Fire & Rescue Shifters series? If you haven’t, it’s the stories of the parents of the Wildfire crew — including Wystan’s cranky unicorn shifter dad Hugh, who made a brief cameo in this story! Start with the first book, Firefighter Dragon.
I always love hearing from readers, so if you have any comments or questions, please email me at [email protected], or find me on Facebook.
Also by Zoe Chant
Fire & Rescue Shifters
Firefighter Dragon
Firefighter Pegasus
Firefighter Griffin
Firefighter Sea Dragon
The Master Shark’s Mate
Firefighter Unicorn
Firefighter Phoenix
Fire & Rescue Shifters Collection 1
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Wildfire Crew
Wildfire Griffin
Wildfire Unicorn
Wildfire Sea Dragon (coming in Fall 2019)
… and many more! See the complete list at www.zoechant.com
Writing as Helen Keeble
Author’s Note: These are YA paranormal comedies, not adult romances. No sex, no swearing, lots of laughs!
Fang Girl
No Angel
“Keeble’s entertaining plot contains action and suspense coupled with a witty protagonist and a great cast of secondary characters. A funny, refreshing novel.” (School Library Journal)
“Quirky and fun. The authentic teen dialogue is refreshing and reminiscent of Louise Rennison’s Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA))
"Likable voice, well-drawn characters and dead-on humor."--Kirkus Reviews