A swan shifter suffering from ambush matchmaking attempt meets a quiet snake with an eye toward her articulations.
Ivy has dodged matchmaking for five years, but when her family bundles her off to the Crossroads, she hastily concocts a plan to stay away from males for the entire month. She is partially successful, but when the bartender creates something just for her and takes an interest in her work, she is falling fast.
Chuck has worked at the Crossroads for most of his adult life, so it is quite a surprise to meet a woman who isn’t stalking a mate. When he sees a fascination for the written word in her, there is nothing for it. He has to get closer to see what she will do when he opens the pages of his hear to her.
When the swan meets the serpent, it is a surprisingly fair fight.
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Poisoned Pen
Copyright © 2013 Zenina Masters
ISBN: 978-1-77111-592-6
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Poisoned Pen
Shifting Crossroads Book 5
By
Zenina Masters
Chapter One
Ivy Amelia Hector froze when she entered her parents’ home. “Is this an intervention?”
Her mother scowled. “Come in and sit down, Ivy Amelia. We have something to discuss.”
The use of both names was a warning sign that her mother was on the fine edge of her temper. Ivy stepped inside, removed her shoes and took the only available chair in a room full of her relatives. “So, what is up?”
Daisy Hector straightened. “We have spoken together and it has come to our attention that you have dodged every attempt to fix you up.”
“I have been busy.”
“For the last five years?” Her father frowned. David Hector didn’t speak often, but when he did, she listened.
“Well, I didn’t mean to dodge, precisely.”
Her mother lifted a clipboard. Oh this isn’t good.
“You have given alibis for every attempt to set you up with a nice male of our species and found any number of creative ones that no one could corroborate.” Her mother scowled at the clipboard. “You have had twenty-four menstrual cycles in the last twelve months, three ingrown toenails, four friends who needed emergency comforting after being dumped, nineteen lost cell phones in the last three years, and then, we get into the not so plausible excuses.”
Her mother set down the clipboard. “This has got to end. You have to at least try to meet someone.”
Ivy sighed. It was an exhalation of resignation. “Fine. If you or Aunt Petunia have someone to set me up with, I will go.”
Daisy shook her dark head. “No, it has gone far beyond that. You are going to the Crossroads, Ivy Amelia. You will stay there until you find a mate, so take your time and make the right choice.”
Shock ran through her. “You are kidding. I can’t just take off to the Crossroads. I have a job to do.”
Her father smiled, “I have spoken with your boss, and Quenella is willing to let you take one month off. Apparently, you are ahead in your reviews.”
Fear gripped her. “What if I don’t find the one for me in a month?”
Her parents, aunts and uncles looked at each other in silent communication. Her mother finally sighed. “You come home, and we will never speak of it again. You will be able to live your solitary life, and we will go on with ours. You will be welcome in the flock.”
Ivy sighed. “Then, I will go. Where is the transporter?”
David got to his feet. “She is in the kitchen. We have prepped a bag for you, and your mother will take care of your plants.”
Ivy got to her feet and looked at the woman who was leaning casually against the counter, sipping a cup of coffee. “Hello.”
“Hello, Ivy. I know that this is a bit of an ambush, and the woman waiting for you on the other side will give you a full rundown of what you need to know. For now, here is your medallion. It will let you buy what you like in the Crossroads. Your family has provided feathers for your passage, but I need one from you. Just in case of emergency, I want to be able to find you.”
“Um, fine. What is your name?”
“Oh, where are my manners?” She extended her hand. “Krisia. Master Transporter.”
Ivy shook her hand with her right while the left snuck behind her head to pull out a feather. She showed it to Krisia and smiled, “Will this do, Krisia?”
“Lovely. I haven’t worked with swans before. Your family must be desperate.” Krisia opened a vial and stuffed the white fluffy feather into it.
“Swans pair off early and stay that way, though the combinations occasionally change.” Ivy bit her lip. “What happens now?”
Krisia reached out and tied a small medallion to her wrist, a feather was embossed on it. “This is linked to a charge account your family set up. Bill what you like to it, and it will be reflected in the normal world.”
“What about a place to stay?” She lifted her wrist close to her face and stared at the small object that was worth so much. “Will this shift with me?”
“Yes, it will shift with you, and your accommodations will be handled on the other side of the portal. Hug your family, get your bag and I will get you on to the next phase of this process.”
Ivy followed the directions, hugging her aunts and uncles before squeezing her parents tight. “I will see you in a month.”
David smiled, “Or sooner.”
“In a month, Dad. If it is sooner, you will have to accept that it is my mate for the rest of my life and I don’t know if any of us are ready to accept that.”
He hugged her again and whispered, “I slipped in your spare reader and a charger. They are in the side pocket.”
“Thanks, Dad. See you soon.” She kissed his cheek, hugged her mom one more time and picked up the bag before entering the kitchen.
Krisia put her cup down and levered away from the counter. “Okay, here we go.”
Ivy watched, expecting chanting and waving arms. Krisia merely opened her arms and a portal appeared in front of the dishwasher.
“Hop on in. The energy is nice this time of year.” Krisia smiled and gestured for her to enter the tall, oblong gateway in the middle of the tile floor.
Ivy took a few cautious steps, held her breath and plunged through the gateway.
Sunset. The light of sunset was all around her. A woman stepped forward, and Ivy recognized the set of her head and the glide of her body. It was another swan.
“Hello, Ivy. My name is Teal. Welcome to the Shifters’ Crossroads.”
“Thank you. This is a bit of a surprise. Krisia said you would help me organize myself?”
“Of course. Where did you want to stay, a bed and breakfast or the avian hostel?”
“Hostel, please. My family is paying for this, so I don’t want to tax them too greatly.”
A male
who was also a bird shifter stepped forward. “If you will come this way, I will scan your tag so you can come and go immediately.”
He showed her where to swipe the charm, and it glowed briefly. “There, now you have a room in the female avian hostel.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Tony. Teal’s mate.”
His movements were almost predatory, but it was the look in his eyes as her charm caught the light that made it all make sense. Raven.
She was proud of her ability to make out the distinctions, but she had to admit that as a pair, they were the most powerful shifters she had yet encountered.
Teal made a small sound. “This way, Ivy.”
They walked out of a building made of honey-coloured oak and intricate carving. Ivy’s gaze caught every detail. She was good at details. It was why she was so adept at reviewing and editing books. The word on the page, the immovable pieces that everyone overlooked, those were what sprang alive to her.
The roads were paved lightly with gravel and bordered with green, lush grass. This entire place was wildlife friendly, which was good considering the men and women who were running around.
Teal smiled, “So, another swan is in the Crossroads. Why are you here?”
“Family.”
“Ah. They couldn’t find a match for you?”
Ivy blushed. “Well…I sort of have been dodging their efforts.”
“Ouch. How long?”
“In total, five years.”
Teal stopped in her tracks. “You are a swan and you have avoided being set up for five whole years? By the first feathers, that takes nerve.”
“I don’t know if that is an insult or praise.” Ivy smiled and hoisted her bag on her shoulder.
“Both. I ran from my match, and after I was successful, I ended up running from Tony. He caught me.” Teal grinned and pointed at the café and the restaurant. “You can get food there, day or night.”
“How hard did you run from him?”
Teal shrugged. “Pretty hard. It led us here.”
“Is there a place to swim?”
“I can show you tomorrow. There is a pond or a lake depending on your preferences. Come on, let’s get your bags stowed so that I can give you the proper tour and introduce you to a few people.”
They walked together in silence, and once Ivy checked into the hostel with her own room and locker, they exited in search of the Crossed Star bar.
“So, this is where I can meet just about anyone?”
“Most if not all of the men come through here. They need a place that takes some of the social niceties and chucks them out the window. Speaking of…Chuck! This is the newest guest of the Crossroads.”
A huge hulk of a man came toward them. His body was covered with tattoos, and his eyes wore the unmistakable mark of a reptile. He grinned, showing a bit of fang. “Welcome to the Crossed Star. What can I get for you?”
“Hi. Um, some juice?” she bit her lip.
He grinned. “Not much of a drinker, huh?”
She shook her head and watched as his smile changed him from frightening to charming.
He mixed her a cocktail of juice with as much care as he would for alcohol. With a flourish, he presented her with a tall hurricane glass, complete with a wedge of orange and an umbrella.
“Consider this a Crossroads-colada. Order it any time.” He winked.
She wrapped both hands around the glass to cover the flutter in her heart. She found the details of the rind of the fruit fascinating and found herself noting the bubbles foam and break in the glass.
Ivy sipped at the juice and hugged Teal farewell. “I will see you in the morning about that pond.”
Teal grinned. “It will be nice to swim with someone for a change. See you in the morning.”
Ivy waited until Teal was gone before she leaned forward to get Chuck’s attention. When he ambled over, she said, “I need to know where I can hide in here.”
He blinked in surprise. “Hide?”
“Yeah, I have been sent here under duress, so I am going to avoid the opposite sex as often as I can. It should work.”
“The darkest corner is over there. I can disconnect the lights, and you can sit there in the dimness.”
“Excellent. Thank you.” She smiled brightly, and he seemed dazzled by it.
The corner in question contained a leather-padded bench in a high-backed booth. She scooted into place with her drink and settled in for a night of people watching and reading on her ereader. The Crossroads wasn’t going to be so bad.
Chapter Two
“What are you reading?” Chuck came by with another drink, and he lingered for a moment.
“This one is a rather torrid love affair gone wrong. It is a solid three and a half stars but nothing too exciting.”
“What do you do in the outside world?” He leaned on her table and fixed his wide-slitted eyes at her. His head was clean-shaven, which left plenty of room for more scalp tattoos.
“Half the time reviewer, half the time editor.” She sipped at her fourth drink. “You have done some time in the human world if that ink is any indication.”
He grinned, showing some serious fang. “I was abandoned as a child and was raised in a circus as the snake boy. It was a hard life, but it gave me some charming skills that I have used as I matured.”
She tried not to stare at the bicep so near her own. There was a swan in a Celtic knot pattern wrapped around his arm. Her mouth was dry, and she wanted to trace that design with her tongue.
When he left to attend another patron, she tried to snap herself back into sensibility. There was no reason for her hormones to run out of control just because an ex-circus attraction and current bartender smiled at her.
She watched him. His movements were graceful, smooth and when he served the ladies at the bar, his attentions were polite but didn’t invite any further approach on their part.
Ivy got the distinct impression that when he looked at her, flirting was on his mind. She sipped at the new fruit juice concoction and scrolled to the next book in her review list. Now and then, she peeped up at Chuck, and to her surprise, his gaze was fixed on her.
****
Chuck was resigned to his life in service to the Crossroads, but Ivy had caught all of his senses. He was holding back his tongue. He wanted to flick it out and taste the small pieces of her scent in the air. His eyes wanted to take in every inch of her dark honey-coloured hair, wrap it around his hands and use it to pull her to him.
She possessed a cute, pert nose, lips with a lush curve and wide amber eyes that took every bit of the world in. His body responded to the soft swells and dips of hers, and she was wearing one of the ugliest shirts he had ever seen. If she ever wore something formfitting, his dick might just blow off.
Smiling at his fanciful thoughts, he continued to work though his true attention was with the woman in the dark corner. He was going to write about her tonight, he could feel it.
****
After the bulk of the patrons had exited, Ivy gathered her things and got to her feet. She was halfway to the door when Chuck appeared at her side.
“If you don’t mind, I will escort you to your lodgings.”
She blinked up at him. “Um, the streets are fairly safe from what I have been told.”
“They are, but I am due for my break, and I need to stretch my legs.”
“By all means, take your exercise at my side.”
In an oddly old-world gesture from a man marked by his modern life, he extended his arm to her, and she took it.
He slowed his pace, and they promenaded down to the Crossroads. “Where are you staying?”
“The avian hostel. I am here on my family’s dime, so it was the best option for a long stay.”
His dark eyebrows rose above his gem green eyes. “Really? You will be here for a while?”
“If I don’t find a man, I agreed to stay for a month before heading home.” She chuckled. “With a place to hi
de, I think I can stretch it that long.”
“You will be back at the bar tomorrow?”
“I can’t think of why not. I mean, I will have to get some food eventually, so I will spend some time at the café.”
He paused in his tracks. “Have you eaten this evening?”
Ivy grumped. “No. I was supposed to have dinner at my parents’, but they shipped me here instead.”
“Come along. Have a snack and then a good night’s sleep. The Crossroads will begin to seem like home in the morning.”
She smiled, “I doubt that, but anywhere there is an internet signal or a way to send one is home to me.”
“That is it?”
“Pretty much. I enjoy my work with an unwholesome kind of enjoyment. I wished that I had the imagination to write, but I don’t, so I try to help the writers bring their creations into the world, or I tell the world what the author did wrong. I get to satisfy two moods at my whim.”
He grinned, “You sound a little power mad.”
She shrugged. “That comes and goes. It makes it hard to offer myself to a man who will crave my attention off the page. Selfish but true.”
“Very frank. So what about a man who could engage your senses on and off the page?”
“I would have to check out his writing skills.” She winked.
He opened the door to the café and ushered her inside. The bright light and cheery tables caught Ivy’s interest, and she turned her head around as far as it would go to take in all the details. The bustle of the waitress on duty marked her as a beaver. She moved smoothly and deliberately through the diners.
Chuck caught her attention, and she brought over two menus. “Welcome to the Crossroads Café. You are new?”
“I am. Today in fact.”
“I look forward to seeing you frequently. Now, what would you like to drink?”
She ordered decaf and a glass of water.
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