Page 50 of Secret Pucking Unicorn

Sophie walks across the stage, smiling and waving, and Carter still looks in shock.

“Trevor, it’s wonderful to meet you. I hope you have your dancing shoes laced up because together we are going to win the Platinum Paw. Are you with me?”

“You’re my partner? How are we going to train with me playing?” Carter asks.

Sophie nods, smiling like she’s in a toothpaste commercial. Not her normal smile at all.

“We’ll go over the details later,” Coach interjects before smiling at the crowd again. “The Devil Birds are such a big, happy family that even your dance partner is part of the family. Sophie is your line mate, Declan Mackenzie’s, sister. Mac, come on up.”

Teagan murmurs something the mic thankfully doesn’t pick up. Coach nods and continues speaking.

“You will train together and compete on national television to bring home the Platinum Paw trophy. We gotta start filling our trophy case at The Nest. Show ‘em how it’s done.”

The crowd cheers and the video ends. I hand Mallory back her phone.

Rising, I wrap my little sister in a hug and lift her until her feet are off the floor.

“Soph, how wonderful! You’re performing as a pro? I’m so proud of you.”

She hugs me back and kisses me on the cheek before I set her back on her feet.

“Thanks, Declan. I’m excited to get out of the troupe and see how the US show works. It’s a much larger production than the UK version. Almost as big as the main show Ma and Ian are on.”

I explain to my friends, “Our mother is a former championship ballroom dancer. She’s the lead judge for the original Celebrity Dance Dare in the UK. Sophie’s twin brother is one of the pro dancers on it and has won twice. He’s a wolf shifter too, but his partners are usually human, not paranormal folk unless they are big name A-list celebrities.”

“You volunteered for this?” I ask Carter.

Carter rolls his eyes. “No, I was voluntold in front of the crowd.”

Sophie huffs out a breath. “Well, you weren’t my first choice, but I know Dec won’t do it.”

Oh boy, Carter has already gotten on Soph’s bad side. Heaven help him.

“As part of the PHL marketing campaign,” Coach says, “each team has a player on a reality TV show. Oliver King from the Sasquatch is going on Bigfoot Finds a Bride. Someone from the Aliens is going on Secret Singer.”

“I still don’t know how it’s going to work to learn dance routines in addition to hockey practice and games.” Carter looks like he sniffed a dozen dirty jockstraps.

His sister rolls her eyes. “Trev, you have a dance studio downstairs. You help Kennie with her cheer team. With Randi here, you’d probably be dancing or stunting with her all the time. You can find the time to work with Sophie and kick ass in the competition.”

“She’s traveling with us too,” Coach says. “The way our schedule falls, you won’t miss any games for the live shows. It’s perfect.”

“Yay.” Carter circles his finger in the air with mock enthusiasm.

I shoot him a look. I don’t care if he’s my friend, he’s not going to disrespect my sister. Before I’m able to say anything, Sophie is toe-to-toe with him with her finger poking his chest. She’s so short she’s poking at her nose level.

“Listen boyo, this is my opportunity to make a name for myself, and you’re not going to screw it up for me. Do you hear me?”

“Hey Kennie, there’s another tiny but scary one around now,” Coach says to his sister with a wink.

We all laugh when Kennie scratches her nose with her middle finger.

Soph stops poking Carter’s chest and grabs the front of his shirt and gives a yank. “Show me the dance studio.”

They disappear downstairs. Poor Carter. My sister is as stubborn as a mule and when she wants something, she isn’t letting anyone or anything keep her from her goal. He’s going to be dancing his ass off regardless of what he wants.

Going into my bedroom, I strip the sheets and start the laundry. I stand there with my hands braced against the washing machine, my head hanging. What the fuck am I going to do? If Miranda didn’t know she’s a witch and thinks my unicorn is a dream, what else has been kept from her? What else have her parents brainwashed her into believing? Because that’s what they did from the sound of it. Locking that sweet little girl away with the bare minimum until she admitted to what they wanted to hear. How could you do that to a child? To someone you loved?

I think back to when I first shifted to my unicorn. I was shocked by the form I took. I knew I was a wolf shifter and part of growing up and my body maturing was I was going to start shifting. I wasn’t prepared to see hooves where I expected to see paws. I knew about the Unicorn Council from my shifter history lessons, and I knew Grandpa Robertson was the Unicorn for the wolves, but I wasn’t expecting it to pass to me. It doesn’t automatically pass to the eldest male. It could have gone to any of my siblings. Or it could have gone to another branch of the family tree.

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