Page 10 of Delivered to My Shadow Unicorn Alphas

“It’s really no problem. Really. I was hoping to reply when I got home and then I saw another message from Shaman.”

I glanced at Shaman but said nothing. He hadn’t told me he sent another message. He was completely smitten with Amber already. “I’m glad you decided to contact us. You were our first match.”

“Oh?” she asked. “You sent all of your matches messages?”

Laughing, Shaman shook his head. “Only you, Amber. We were drawn by your profile, not to mention your beauty.”

A lovely blush bloomed on her cheeks. I took in her surroundings, trying to get to know her better with little information. Her apartment, I guessed from the smallness of it, was sparsely decorated. Comfortable and feminine but not a lot of things. The biggest piece of furniture was a huge bookshelf that was stuffed to the brim with covers of all colors. The titles ranged from what looked like romance to autobiographies and everything in between.

“Thank you. You two aren’t so bad yourselves. What do you do for a living? I didn’t see any jobs listed on your profiles.”

I didn’t know what to say. Of course, the truth, but I also didn’t want her to think that we were some spoiled brats who sat around and made trouble so we didn’t get too bored.

Shaman took over, thankfully. “Our parents left us a good amount of money when they passed. We don’t have to work, but we spend our time trying to help others in our community. We have a thriving greenhouse, and we keep busy.”

“Oh, wow. That sounds incredible. Living on your own timelines.”

“We think so. We try to keep a loose schedule anyway. Do you always work long hours, or do you have some time off?”

Amber smiled, and nearly everything in me melted. “I work on my own schedule. I’m contracted by companies for research. Nonprofits, students, anyone who needs information and doesn’t have enough time to find it. I can take time off whenever I like, though, as long as I hit my deadlines.”

“That’s good. At least you can work when you want to. I wonder how close you are to us. The app hides your location.” Shaman was so eager to meet her. He had been vocal about Amber being our fated mate, but I had my reservations. It all seemed too easy—too convenient. Maybe I was being negative, but mates didn’t just show up on an app out of nowhere.

“Oh. Here, let me share it. I read in the rules that when we make a connection, we have the option of sharing our location.”

The app popped up a notification. It gave Amber’s address and then asked if we wanted to share ours as well. We did, of course.

Amber lived only about a half hour away from us. We’d even gone to her city a few times, though it wasn’t where we usually went for supplies.

She had been there, only thirty minutes away and we hadn’t seen her.

“We are so close!” she said.

“We are.” My stomach gathered into a knot. This was the moment. If she declined, I would be heartbroken, but I had to know. Shaman even more than me. “So what do you think? Would you like to go out on a date with us, Amber?”

She leaned back in her chair and smiled. “I really would. Have a place in mind?”

Chapter Ten

Amber

It’s just a date. No big deal. I’ve been on dates before.

But not with unicorns. Two. Unicorns.

I’d suggested a restaurant I enjoyed, not too expensive but good food and a pleasant atmosphere. They did well enough, but no lines out the door or reservations required. Nobody ever pushed people to rush with their meals or finish up a conversation, which I thought made it perfect for our date.

Also, I didn’t have the wardrobe for fancy evenings out, and I didn’t want to have to go buy something if I could avoid it. I made a good living, but I suppose I’d gotten in the habit of being thrifty as a woman on her own. Saving for retirement and for emergencies of all kinds made me feel in control and safe.

So, on the day before our big date, I found myself in the middle of my room with my entire closet emptied out on the bed. My plan to avoid buying anything new wasn’t looking very promising. I had work clothes, jeans and shirts, some nice slacks for the times when I had to meet with clients or attend meetings. Low-heeled shoes, a couple of blazers and cardigans in black, white, and gray.

How long since I’d been out with a man? And what had I worn then? I didn’t even remember. Somehow my past relationships, if they could even be called that, had not gone very far. While my friends were oohing and aahing over the boys we knew, most of them left me cold. I’d even wondered if I might be interested in girls, but one coffee date proved that wasn’t it. Some people just never found a partner, I supposed, and I might be one of those.

I had a good life, for sure, with a job I found interesting, a nice place to live, my books—and now my book club as well.With these unicorns coming to meet me, I was more excited and nervous than I’d ever been in the past.

Could it be that I always was going to be attracted to shifters? Or…or…these particular shifters? Fated mates were only for them, right? Not for simple humans. Except, sometimes, in the romances, the human girl did have a fated mate. Those were my very favorite tales. I never was drawn to the Vikings or princes or other types of romance.

And now, out of nowhere, I was going on a date with not one but two shadow unicorns. Magical beings. I once again surveyed the items laid out on my bed. Well made, intended to last. Mostly earth tones, gray and brown and beige, white and black. Appropriate for blending into the library stacks.

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