It wasn’t the engagement ring she had been taught to want, but their mating bands were on the way, and this was better than a ring that she would lose when she shifted.
To distract herself, she suddenly blurted out, “It should be C. I. Hector. That is the name. Nice and generic and it sound a bit fantastical.”
He grinned. “Yes, dear. It does make sense. Well chosen.”
She chuckled and winced. “You are humouring me.”
“Yes, dear.”
Arkenon was laughing quietly.
She decided to make him interact. “So, Arkenon. I hear that you are much in demand amongst shifters. Do you think you would make a return trip?”
“Well, I will be working on James next. So after that, I think it is just a bunch of beavers.”
She snorted. “Not anymore. There are some exotics, some large cats, and of course, your foster brother. I think Chuck wouldn’t mind seeing you more frequently, and if he doesn’t get an invitation to your home, he has to make do here.”
Arkenon lifted his head. “He is invited to every single family event. He just chooses not to come.”
Ivy looked at Chuck’s face. “That is going to change. Keep sending the invitations. We will be taking some of them.”
After the piece was finished and she smiled at the glowing green serpent, she surrendered her place to an eager Jim.
Arkenon kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear. “Thank you, he needs family.”
She whispered back, “He has it now whether he needs it or not.”
Walking back to their home, she sighed. “There, more binding than a wedding ring and far more pretty.”
“You are really going to haul me into the human world?”
“I am. I got this tattoo to divert my mother. She will be so busy being excited I am mated and horrified that I have a tattoo, you should be able to get past her in no time.” She squeezed his waist and leaned against him in exhaustion.
“You did that for me?”
“I did. And once my skin heals and I can shift again, I am going to let you have sex with an angel. That is a once-in-a-lifetime deal, my love.”
He stopped in the centre of the street and kissed her until her toes curled.
They pointed toward the house, and Chuck said, “So, if we start it in space, we can use shifters and not worry about breaking any taboos.”
She grinned. “I was thinking the precise thing. Now, action or love story?”
“Why can’t it be both?”
So, they discussed their book into the wee hours of the night, and when dawn broke, they got to work creating their first collaboration.
It took two years, but the initial work of C. I. Hector was finally contracted, and they were relieved. They had six books waiting in the wings, and once their first book broke free, the others soon found homes.
They both got what they wanted, Chuck became an action romance writer, and Ivy got all the editing she could handle and a paying audience for her sarcasm. Life was sweet, and Pookie was sweeter.
Author’s Note
To find out about Jim and the butterflies, see Lion Time. A wave of shifter combinations will be meeting at the Crossroads, and in Bearing It, we will meet the cousin of Buzz from Owl’s Fair. It worked for Buzz, so why not her?
Hoping to see you next time, Pookie,
Zenina Masters
www.zeninamasters.com
About the Author
Zenina Masters was born in Canada and lives in Canada. She has a regular job and does nothing particularly exciting with her life. She enjoys fishing, silence and the ability to pick and choose friends she can trust. Life is too short to watch your back all the time.
Her writing life is a teeny bit of escapism, she would probably chicken out if confronted by three naked men and looks forward to one day finding out.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Poisoned Pen Page 6