Chapter 22

Star slumped back against the cushions. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck."
Theo's lip twitched just a touch in his square, masculine face. "Well, we could, but we should probably shower first." Then he shook his head and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Sorry - that was inappropriate. I've got to admit to being more than a little freaked out right now."
"I understand, believe me." She had a horrible feeling that something very strange was going on, and she had no idea what to make of it. "Do me a favor and help me over to the doorway."
"Why?"
"I want to test a theory." She swung her legs over the side of the couch and held out a hand. Theo immediately helped her to her feet and supported most of her weight as she limped across to the door, the blanket wrapped around her torso and trailing behind them. "Now open the door."
"Honey, it's wet and cold out there."
"Just humor me, okay?"
Theo shrugged but did as she asked. Moving out of his arms but holding one of his big, strong hands in hers, she took one tiny step over the threshold.
Instantly Theo's hand fell away from hers and she found herself staring at his ankles. Her nose and whiskers twitched at the blanket pooled all around her face.
Fuck!
Now that she was fully conscious, she could feel the difference in her size and her senses. Scents were so much clearer. And sounds - she could detect one lone frog chirping, and the nearest water was half a mile away. Experimentally, she twitched her whiskers again.
Yep. No way around it. She was the damn bunny.
She used her front paws to dig her way out of the blanket, and her good back foot to push herself forward. As soon as she dragged her butt over the threshold, she found herself back in her own body on her hands and knees, staring up at the horrified expression on Theo's handsome face.
"You - you..." He started to take a step back, but at the last minute, he gritted his teeth, leaned down and lifted her back to her feet instead, scooping up the blanket as he went. "You're the rabbit?"
"So it seems." She pushed her long, dark brown hair out of her face and managed a shaky smile. "Damn it, it wasn't my turn yet. Sam and Summer are both older than me. It was supposed to hit them first."
"What? Your whole damn family is a bunch of were-bunnies?" His rich voice was hoarse with disbelief, even as he pulled the door shut and helped her toward the bathroom. "Yeah, right. I sure never picked up on that in the dorms."
"Not exactly," she said. She plopped down on the toilet lid while he turned on the shower and adjusted the taps. "It's the whole bloody Holiday magic thing kicking in. How much did you hear about how Noel and Shelby got together?" Her oldest brother Noel had gotten engaged at Christmas - also his birthday - after being trapped with one of the company's accountants in an enchanted holiday ornament.
Theo paused. "Not much. I know it all happened pretty quickly." He stepped back, clearly intent on ignoring her assertions. "Don't move - I'm just going to run out to my car for some clothes."
He returned with his duffel in less than two minutes then bent to untie his hiking boots and set them aside before striping off his drenched denim jacket and rust-colored cotton shirt.
Star gulped, her train of thought lost as she stared at his broad, muscular chest, with just a few whorls of light brown hair surrounding his dark tan nipples. God, she'd always loved looking at this man.
"Star, honey? You were saying..." His hands moved down to the fly of his jeans. "Something about Holiday magic?" There was a decided hint of laughter underlying his words - one she wished she could share.
"Umm, yeah." She forced herself to look down at her toes and ignore the rasp of his zipper. "You know how my dad always claimed the family was descended from the Celtic spirits of the seasons? Turns out there's more to that than us all being born on or around the traditional holidays."
"Yeah, sure," he said. He took her hand and lifted her to her feet. "I hate to break this to you, Cinderella, but there's no such thing as magic. It has to be some kind of weird hallucination, but while it lasts, I want to be comfortable. Let's just get clean and warm, okay?"
The water felt wonderful as she let him help her into the tub. Theo was careful to support some of her weight as he ran his hands through her hair to rinse out the mud and leaves. She rested her face against his chest, loving the familiar feel of him, and at the same time trying to remind herself they weren't a couple anymore.
"Is the idea of magic any crazier than you watching me turning into a rabbit the day before Ostara?"
"Easter isn't until next month." He squirted some shampoo into his hand and began to lather her hair. "And I still don't believe I really saw anything."
"The date for Easter jumps around now, but Ostara is the pagan holiday that predates the Christian one by probably thousands of years. The traditional date was the vernal equinox," she pointed out. "Which is tomorrow." The feel of him massaging her scalp had her pussy quivering, even though she should be too cold and sore to even think about sex. Unthinkingly, she rubbed her aching breasts against his rib cage. "Also my birthday."
"So what does this have to do with me hallucinating?"
"Like I said, it's the whole Holiday family deal," she repeated. "At Christmas, the magic kicked in for Noel and he spent three days trapped in an enchanted Christmas decoration with Shelby. Afterward, my dad sat down and explained some pertinent facts. Apparently, the magic wants to be passed on. If one of us hasn't found a mate by some random point in our lives, the stars align, or something, and Fate, for lack of a better word, takes a hand, trying to fix us up - apparently with the nearest available member of the opposite sex."
"But Noel is the oldest," Theo pointed out. "And there are two others between you. Has anything like this happened to them?" She could envision his eyes rolling skeptically, even though her gaze was fixed on the muscles of his shoulder.
Star shrugged. "I don't know what to say. I wasn't exactly expecting this. All I know is Dad says it's different for each of us, and will usually be related to the holiday associated with our birth. Noel got stuck in a Christmas village. I guess getting turned into a rabbit fits with Ostara."
"So the Easter bunny is really a pagan thing?"
She nodded. "Ostara is the celebration of spring, and the rabbit is a classic symbol of that season." And fertility. She didn't want to bring up that part.
"So, if this is all connected to the equinox, do you think you'll go back to normal after tomorrow?" Though his tone still dripped with disbelief, his voice had dropped, and Star felt the thick ridge of his erection against her hip.
Damn, it had always been this hot between them. "Maybe," she croaked. "Probably." If the gods are remotely kind. "That's what happened for Noel. Sorry you had to get mixed up in it though. I guess I'll just have to stay in the cabin until it goes away."