Page 68 of Iron Unicorn

I considered the general bombardment of emotions, determined I could ignore it with a little work, and nodded. “If I hadn’t been prepared, that might have caused some problems, but Melody warned me, so while I can’t block it right now, it’s something I can handle.”

“And it’s good you’re receiving from her, although it’s taking strong emotions to get through to you.” Daphne sent a text on her phone, and a moment later, it pinged. “Ah. Melody says they told her that you were kidnapped before specifying I’m the kidnapper and we’re running errands. She should cool off in a few minutes.”

That was one way to do a mild stress test. I got my phone, sent Olivia a text promising that the Montana troublemakers were doing my bidding, and that I’d be back to the hotel within a couple of hours. “There. Once she checks her phone, she should relax a little. She’s going to have to get used to me running many errands in New York.”

Worrying about Olivia having separation anxiety hadn’t been on my radar before learning about the bond, but I would manage her the same way I handled every other bonded empath in my life with a twist. I’d have to be a little more proactive with her to keep her anxiety low and her happiness high.

“It’ll be fine, Terry,” Daphne said before giving me a hug. “And you did nothing wrong by not realizing she’s your one and only.”

Once upon a time, I’d believed Sabina had been my one and only despite the lack of a bond between us, but time had proven me wrong. Having a second chance appealed.

I’d told my queen the truth. I hadn’t minded chasing after her. Then, there hadn’t been anyone I’d wanted to settle down with—except for Olivia.

Olivia hadn’t been available, at least not in my mind.

The move to New York had changed everything.

I forced myself to regard the collection of wedding and engagement bands, sighing over the mess I’d have to sort out sooner than later. “Sabina had picked her ring because I’m a dunce at this,” I informed my friend and former co-worker. “The iron ring set? That’s easy. I know exactly what I’m going to fashion.”

Our rings would consist of a herd of unicorns galloping eternally around the exterior of the band. The interior would consist of three dates: the day we’d met after Sabina’s death, the day I gave her the rings, and our wedding date. They would be identical in all ways, a symbol of unity.

Daphne laughed at me. “Most men would be absolutely lost trying tomaketheir girlfriend a ring. You? You know what masterpiece you’re making. But the commercial ring? Woe is you.”

As focusing on the rings beat trying to process Olivia’s fury, I did as I was supposed to, peering at the various offerings. “I don’t know what she likes in rings like this, Daphne. I’ve always been too busy paying attention to her face, not her hands!”

“I have photographic evidence of you paying close attention to her cleavage at the wedding in London,” she informed me.

My face flushed. Olivia’s dress had driven me absolutely insane by the end of the wedding ceremony, and I questioned just how she had managed to defy gravity in such a fashion. “Please tell me you did not show those pictures to Olivia.”

“I will only show them to her if she spirals into another fit of self-loathing,” Daphne stated, and she pointed at a ring. “She likes smaller stones because she wants to be able to go to the stable without changing her rings. Anything with a low profile but has color and sparkle will make her happy. She sometimes says she wants a solitaire, but she’s never actually found one shelikes.”

I could afford a third ring, although my wallet would protest over the investment.

Following Daphne’s suggestions, I selected three styles of rings and bought two of each in the appropriate sizes. I went with a clear diamond as the solitaire to adhere to societal expectations, a band with small rubies in an infinity symbol motif, and a blue sapphire ring featuring one larger stone flanked with smaller, paler blue stones. As the iron rings would be intricate, I went with plain bands for the matching wedding rings.

Outside of the diamond solitaire rings, which cost a small fortune, the rest of the rings counted as cheap compared to the store’s other offerings, but they had the sizes Olivia needed. The ruby and sapphire sets had matching necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, which I opted to buy for no other reason than I could and thought she might appreciate everything matching.

“This is probably not the way I’m supposed to be doing this,” I informed Edward while Daphne put the charge on her card to hide my purchases. “It’s bad enough dealing with an engagement with a woman from an elite family, but I’m going to have to please a princess.”

“I have found that my princess is very easy to please,” the Brit replied. “But perhaps your purchase is a bit excessive. If you are trying to convince her you’re excessive, you have accomplished your goal.”

“She likes wearing rings on her right hand, and she needs rings for her left hand traditionally. And I don’t want people to get nasty because she only has an iron band.”

“That statement is all the proof you need that you’re going about it the right way. But you’re going to get scolded for being excessive. That’s how these Montana princesses operate. Unless you’re giving Daphne a horse, in which case, there is no such thing as excessive. The next time I do something dastardly, I’m just going to acquire a foal for her. Surely that will get me back into her good graces.”

The ploy stood a good chance of working. I eyed Daphne, who tapped her foot and waited for the charge to process. “I’m just glad they had the rings in her sizes. I don’t want to have to come back here in a week. I’m hoping that we can start riding for freedom sooner than later.”

“Tomorrow is a possibility if Olivia’s breathing tests go well and she seems stable.” Edward waited for Daphne to finish making the payment before swooping in, stealing the receipt, and pocketing it. “She would hide it from you so you wouldn’t be able to pay her back. I’ll email you a copy so you can pay her back after you head back to New York.”

Daphne scowled. “I was trying to be nice to Terry.”

“You don’t need to be nice to Terry for this. If you want to be nice to Terry, bully everyone into letting him ride off tomorrow with Olivia so they can get some fresh air and a change of scenery. Point them in the direction of Dallas so they can storm the palace. Then Pat can feed them and everyone is happy.”

“You’re right. That would be nice to Terry. Okay. I’ll make it happen. Terry, if you have any problems on that ride, you call us, okay? We’ll be here for a few more days, so we’ll ride to the rescue if needed.”

“Let’s avoid that. If His Royal Majesty of Montana has to rescue his sister, chances are I’m a dead man—and he might be the one to finish me off.”

“He wouldn’t kill you. He’d just make you wish he’d put you out of your misery.”

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