Page 12 of Delivered to My Shadow Unicorn Alphas

My brain rattled with the possibilities and other than Juven being her other fated, all I saw was heartbreak.

Rejection was the worst of the fates for most shifters but especially tragic for unicorns. We were devoted to our mates on a baser level. Our unicorns lived for our mates. Sure, it happened like that in shifter novels, but we set the bar.

Amber would be the moon of my night. The sun of my day. The planet I revolved around.

Sounded creepy when I said it in my head. Might want to keep that to myself tonight.

“Let’s go in and wait.”

Staying in the truck and waiting for her to arrive seemed odd.

Inside the self-serve restaurant, I scoped out the menu but didn’t place an order yet. I’d never been to one of these places. There were no waiters or waitresses. The food arrived in a window. Made by a faceless person in the back. Or maybe by robots. Who knew? The city was always a splash of cold water compared to our life in the mountains.

“Is that her?” Juven asked. I watched as Amber got out of a small car that looked like a wind-up key belonged on the back.

“It is.”

“I’ll grab some drinks.”

I didn’t ask how he knew what Amber would want. She walked into the restaurant and her smile brightened the already fluorescent overly lit place. “Shaman, it’s so nice to meet you, in person.” She extended her hand and I nearly toppled over.

I grasped her soft, lithe hand and sucked in a breath. Yeah, she was mine, and I was head-over-heels hers. “It’s nice to meet you too. Juven is grabbing some drinks. Should we find a place to sit?”

“Sure. How about that booth in the corner?”

She sat on one side and I chose the opposite, scooting over to give Juven a place next to me.

Seconds later, he showed up with a tray of all kinds of drinks—enough for a football team. I expected him to introduce himself, but instead, he stared. His hands trembled. He nearly dropped the whole tray. I barely caught it before he did.

“Amber, this is Juven.”

“Juven, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

The only reason Juven managed to sit down was because I watched as his knees trembled. I might’ve fallen for Amber at first glance, but Juven? He’d found his fated mate too. And he nearly collapsed with the power of it.

Chapter Twelve

Amber

On the way to the restaurant, I sent a text to a friend. Just out of caution, since I was meeting strangers. I was already following the other rules of safe dating by meeting Juven and Shaman at a public place, driving myself to and from. After all our texts this week, they didn’t feel like strangers, but safety was ingrained.

I had indeed spent the day primping, beginning with the visit to the hairstylist who, upon hearing I was getting ready for a big date, insisted that I also have a mani-pedi and get my legs waxed. By the time I left the salon, I felt polished from head to toe and carried a bag of cosmetics they sold at the front counter. All of that and my new dress, a blue, green, and gold patterned V-neck that showed more cleavage than my usual style. It had flowy sleeves and a fluttery skirt. My sandals had three-inch heels, my hair lay smoothly over my shoulders, and I had followed an online makeup tutorial to make the best use of my purchases.

I barely recognized myself in the mirror, but it all gave me a boost of confidence that had held until I opened the restaurant door and saw one of the men waiting for me. For a second, I almost turned and ran, but then I dug in my high heels and lifted my chin.You spent a lot of time and money for this moment and you are not going to show this man, this unicorn just the back view of the dress.

I closed the distance between us, put on a fake-it-till-you-make-it bright smile, and held out my hand. “Shaman, it’s so nice to meet you, in person.” He took mine in his and my knees went weak. I thought that was just something from books, but only his firm grip held me in place.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Juven is grabbing some drinks. Should we find a place to sit?”

“Sure.” I glanced around for an empty table. It was more crowded here than usual. “How about that booth in the corner?”

We sat on opposite sides, and a moment later, Juven returned carrying a tray with at least a dozen drinks. This restaurant had all sorts of bottled sodas and seltzers. I always had a hard time choosing, and this wasn’t going to help. And then the tray wobbled in his grip, and Shaman had to catch it. It was so endearing, my anxiety sank down about three levels.

Shaman eased the tray to the tabletop, grinning. “Amber, this is Juven.”

“Juven, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

He sat next to Shaman, the two of them giving me space, and waved to the array of bottles. “They’re going to bring over some glasses with ice.”

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