He arched a brow at the screen. “These are the colors they want?”
“Yep. Exactly those, but you have freedom in the design. Swirl and twirl however you want.”
He grinned. “On it.”
Destiny mixed a white chocolate sauce, letting it cool before putting it into a plastic container. The oven timer dinged, and she pulled out the bread pudding, perfectly baked this time, and set it on a rack before turning to Pete.
“How’s it go…ing?” Her brows shot toward her hairline. In the half-hour it had taken her to finish the pudding, he’d frosted three cakes and hand-decorated six dozen sugar cookies for an order that had apparently come in eight minutes ago. “How in heaven do you move so fast?”
“I have to. How else could I get billions of eggs ready for delivery in two weeks’ time?” His brown slammed down over his eyes. “I have help. We’re all fast. They… I…” He set down the icing bag and scratched his head. “I think I have a team. I…I don’t know.”
“Pete!” She rushed toward him, taking his face in her hands before clutching his shoulders. “Focus. The eggs. You paint billions?”
His eyes tightened, his forehead creasing as he concentrated. He squeezed his lids shut, his lips pursing until he finally sighed. “I can’t remember. I lost it.”
“It’s okay.” She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. “Your memories are there. We just have to knock them loose, and I promise you it will be my only focus until it’s done.”
“It can’t be your only focus.” He tried to break the hug, but she held him tighter.
“It can and it will be. I’m going to make this right.”
“Destiny.” He gripped her shoulders, gently pushing her away. “My life isn’t the only one at stake. What about your miracle? You need to focus on that too.”
“Well, I can’t miracle your memories back. I tried.” She shrugged out of his embrace. “I honestly can’t think of anything else that might get approved, so I’m just going to do my best to help you. At the very least, if I have to grow old and die, I can do it knowing I did everything in my power to help you save your realm.”
“No, I don’t like that. There has to be a way.” He tapped a finger to his lips. “The prophecy said I would leave my land to devise a plan. If I came here to ask Gaston for help, I have a feeling my plan was to take him to Eostre’s realm to investigate. Can that be your miracle? Sending a fae and a vampire across realms?”
She pouted her lips, contemplating Gabriela’s likely response to a request like that. Maybe if she worded it just right, she could… Her shoulders slumped. Who was she kidding? “You’re a fae. The ability to cross realms is ingrained in your soul. Gabriela wouldn’t find that miracle-worthy. I doubt the request would make it past her assistant’s desk.”
“Are you sure? Because Eostre is a goddess, and even she couldn’t drag me across. If a goddess couldn’t make it happen, it sounds like it would take a miracle to get me there.”
Destiny shook her head. “Eostre said she couldn’t take you because you have torememberhow to cross the realms yourself. Your lack of memory is my fault. I can’t request a miracle to remedy my own mistake.”
A conspiratorial grin lifted his lips. “Eostre saidshecan’t get me across unless I remember.”
“So?”
“So, that means it really would take a miracle. I might not remember how to be the Easter Bunny, but you can bet your shiny gold halo I know how to improvise. Get me to Eostre’s realm, and I’ll figure the rest out from there. It might be with goose eggs this year, but we will make Easter happen.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re right. I’m not asking to make you remember how to cross realms. I’m asking to send you there myself.”
“Exactly.” He set her laptop in front of her. “We can do this together. You and me.”
“Together. Eostre said that was the only way we could fix things.” She logged in to the miracle network and cracked her knuckles.
She typed furiously, backspacing and rewording to make certain no mention or vague reference to Pete’s missing memories remained in her request. She didn’t ask to save Easter either. This request was all new and precisely specific. Send Pete to the fae realm. That was all. The fewer details she gave, the more likely it would pass through.
When she finished, she read it four more times. “I told them I know the ability is ingrained in your soul, but you can’t access it. Souls are a big deal to angels, so that should get their attention.” Plus, angels hated the fae. Shipping one back to his own realm should sound appealing enough.
Her pulse racing, she hovered her finger above the enter key and flicked her gaze to Pete. “Together?”
He smiled and laid his hand over hers. “Together.”
They pressed the button, sending the miracle request into the ether. Her breath came out in a rush, and she closed the laptop before turning around.
Pete stood facing her, his otherworldly eyes glittering. “Feels good to find a solution, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know about good. I’m still a nervous wreck. The waiting is the hardest part.” Because they could be stuck waiting until their time ran out.
