Deer Heart [Shifter Crossroads 3]

by Zenina Masters

  “It’s all right. I just need to change shape and change back. The hair colour will reset itself.”

  “Convenient.”

  Venny grimaced. “Not really. I dye my hair a lot. I buy this colour by the case and keep it at home.”

  Dira showed her to her room, and true to her word, the laundry bag was waiting. Holding her breath, Venny opened her luggage and stuffed all jeans, shirts, underwear and deadly, deadly socks into the bag.

  Dira’s nose was wrinkling. “Throw in the clothing that you are wearing after a shower, and I will pick it up while you go out. Toss your shoes in there as well.”

  Venny laughed as she was bossed around. Even her parents didn’t bother, considering the reject they had brought into the world not worth the effort. She was left to her own devices at all times.

  Dira left her alone, and Venny checked the time. It was time for her to get naked, shift twice and then take a shower. She had men to meet and new clothing to do it in.

  Despite the advice, she opted to skip the shift.

  She wanted to meet men, talk to them, and if they knew she was an albino, she wouldn’t even get one who wanted to get to second base.

  After her shower and a fresh pair of contacts that turned her eyes an acceptable dark brown, she put on a dress and heels before walking out to find something to eat before she wandered over to the bar.

  Dira took in her hair and eyes and gave her a gentle smile. “Whenever you are ready. I don’t lock the front door but do expect you to respect the rest of others when you return.”

  “Of course. I don’t think I will be out too late tonight. I just want to get the lay of the land not be the lay of the land.”

  Dira cracked a smile and then cackled with amusement. “I admire your attitude. Well, off you go. Make sure to eat before you go drinking.”

  “Yes, Dira. Wish me luck!” She waved and exited the bed and breakfast before Dira could reply.

  Venny gathered her nerve as she walked to the café. She could see dozens of figures on the two main roads. Some were women and most were not. Venny shivered at the thought of being outnumbered, but she kept going until she made it to the café and she slid into a seat at a tiny table.

  Unlike most of her kind, she actually enjoyed eating meat. When you spent your time in cold climates, vegetarianism was less an option and more a burden on those around you.

  A young man, with a cascade of dark hair that seemed drawn to flip over one eye, came by and took her order. “What can I get for you?” There was a warmth in his tone that went beyond polite service. She looked up into his deep brown orbs and swallowed. “I would like a cup of coffee and a cheeseburger. It has been a really long day.”

  He winked and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Venny fought to keep her mouth closed. He was tall, muscular and had the distinct spring in his step that put him in his early twenties. Why was he flirting with her?

  She knew her features were passable but nothing extraordinary. Her value to her herd was in the strength of her shifted form. While she was glaringly obvious, she was also tall, strong and second in size to the Herd Master. She hadn’t shed her horns yet either. They seemed to be part and parcel of every shift she had had since she first turned at fourteen, and twelve years later, they had still not dropped.

  The coffee was slid in front of her with a smooth motion, and her server slid into the chair across from her. “You are new here, right?” She sipped at the cup and smiled at the familiar taste of a good cup of coffee. It had been a while.

  “I am. My name is Venny.”

  He extended his hand. “Branson. My sister, Nia, runs this place. I am helping her with the dinner rush.”

  He had an efficiency with his clothing, the black button-down shirt precisely turned up over his forearms and the short apron edging the top of his jeans. If it weren’t for his hair, she wouldn’t have thought he had one spontaneous cell in his body.

  Well, his hair and the fact that he was sitting across from her. He smiled. “I will be right back.”

  She watched him walk and had to admit that it was a nice view. She felt flustered and shy but wasn’t quite sure that this was the guy for her.

  Damn, she should have bleached her hair out and pulled her lenses.

  Branson returned with her burger and a side salad. He sat across from her much to the amusement of a woman behind the counter.

  “So, Venny, you are a deer, right?” She lifted the cheeseburger to her mouth, and a moment before she bit, she said, “Sort of.” He grinned, and she noted the slightly-larger-than-normal front teeth.

  “Beaver for you, right?” She realised what she had said and finished, “That wasn’t an offer.” He hooted with laughter, enough to draw every eye in the café.

  She blushed and kept eating.

  When he wiped the tears from his eyes, he smiled, “I think it has been a while since you were in your hoofed form.”

  She tilted her head. “You could definitely say that.”

  “Would you care to go for a run tomorrow? I mean, I can’t keep up with you, but there is a great meadow just for that purpose.” She finished her meal and wiped her hands on a napkin. “I am sure it would be fun, but I am not up for that sort of thing quite yet. Allow me a day to get my bearings, as it were.” He grinned. “Where are you off to now?” Venny leaned back in her chair. “I was going to the Crossed Star. Why?”

  “Would you like some company?” She nodded. “That would be nice. Where do I pay?”

  He winked. “It’s on me. Come on, if we are lucky, they haven’t started the karaoke yet.” Venny shuddered in horror and took the hand he extended to her, letting him lift her out of the chair and to his side.

  * * * *

  Athon Wells watched Bronson leave with the new woman. She smelled like prey, but she looked around like a predator. He would bet his left fang that she was a deer, but her mannerisms were all wrong. She confronted when she should retreat, and her every move screamed that she was ready to kick ass.

  He paid his bill and walked past Nia to follow the couple to the Crossed Star. If he could get close enough, perhaps he could end the mystery of what this woman was and why his wolf rose to the surface at her scent. The erection that had been pressing the inside of his jeans since she walked in was another issue.

  Chapter Four

  The music was subtle and designed to draw people to the dance floor in couples. Venny found herself pressed against Branson and swaying to a slow song.

  She looked around her and took in the other couples, the heavily tattooed bartender and the singles who were watching wistfully while the music created an opportunity for couples to learn the signals of their prospective mates.

  “So, Branson, have you been here long?” He gripped her waist and turned her in a tight circle that forced her up against the planes of his body and one distinct bulge that caused her cheeks to redden.

  “I live here, as does my family. We build, we tear down and we build again.” He leaned toward her, and she realised he was coming in for a kiss.

  A hand yanked her from Branson’s grasp, and she slammed into the stranger’s chest with both hands on his shoulders.

  Blood rushed through her as her body went from embarrassed to aroused in an instant.

  She dimly heard, “May I cut in?” Before the man she was plastered against began to sway, with one hand wrapping her waist to hold her tightly to him, and the other decorously held her right hand.

  Branson looked from Venny to the stranger, and he nodded ruefully. “Have a good evening, Venny.”

  Venny looked up into the cold, grey eyes of the man who held her. “I don’t recall being asked to dance.”

  He grinned, his sharp features looking vaguely sinister. “I don’t recall asking you.” She moved with him, and it came naturally to her. He smelled like a predator and acted like one too. She wriggled her fingers, and he loosened his grip enough to let her move but not enough to let her pull free.

&
nbsp; “What is your name?” She put her mental horns on and lowered her head pugnaciously.

  “Athon. Yours?”

  “Venezia. Venny to most.”

  “You are named for the city of canals?” His amusement was obvious.

  “Yes.” She gritted her teeth together as he pulled her flush against him. Her breasts noticed his heat right away, and his hand caressed her hip and spine.

  “You have a little more fight in you than most of the deer I have met.”

  She jerked in his grasp. “I am not your standard deer.”

  He held her fast without effort. “I can see that.”

  “You seem to be a wolf in wolf’s clothing.” The world faded away, because his kiss locked onto her mouth and parted her lips savagely. She widened her eyes, reared back and head-butted him.

  When he staggered back in shock, she ploughed her fist into his jaw and then stood there on the dance floor, breathing heavily while the couples around them stopped and stared.

  Her hand throbbed and she winced. Holding her head high, she stalked to the bar and asked, “Can I have some ice in a napkin?” The snake tending bar smiled. “Of course.” He gestured for her to extend her knuckles. “And then go see Lee.”

  She turned and he said, “Wait.” He pressed an intercom. “Jim, is Lee with you?” An answering growl was all that came through the speaker.

  “Send her down here when you are done. There is the possibility of a broken hand.” Venny could hear, “Damn it, Jim…let me up.” The snake disconnected the line. He smiled. “I am Chuck, by the way.”

  “Venny.” She moved to shake hands, but hers was wearing the ice pack.

  Chuck looked to the dance floor, and Venny’s gaze followed, but Athon was nowhere to be seen.

  She sighed heavily. “Well, that takes care of that.” Chuck polished a glass and lifted it to the light.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Athon is a lone wolf, and he lacks a lot of social graces, but no one has ever said he was easily discouraged.” She blinked. “A lone wolf? What is he doing here?”

  Chuck laughed. “The Crossroads is for any shifter to find their mate. In or out of their own society. Some races are so rare as to be extinct, so this is where they come to find their mates.” A woman with dark hair and a golden cast to her skin came into the bar through a rear staircase.

  Her hair was mussed and she was wearing some very interesting bite marks on her neck. She smiled at Chuck. “Where is my patient?” Venny lifted her good hand. “Hiya again, Lee.” Lee frowned in concern. “What happened?” She gripped Venny’s hand in her own and began an examination before she tugged her to her feet and out the door.

  “I objected to public foreplay with a man I had known less than ten minutes. I am fussy that way.” She shrugged and let the lioness lead her down the street. “I am sorry to have broken up intimate time with you and your spouse.” Lee laughed. “For Jim, intimate time is anytime we are out of a direct line of sight. Foreplay can be engaged in in a public venue, however. I am trying to train him, but I keep getting distracted.” Venny smiled despite the pain in her hand.

  Lee opened the first-aid station and hauled her inside. A quick x-ray later told them that there was a hairline fracture in her hand.

  Lee sat back on her little rolling stool and said, “If you shift, it will heal the break, but you said you weren’t ready for that.”

  Venny tried flexing her broken hand and winced. “Well, I can’t do anything with this the way it is. Is there somewhere large and private that I can shift?”

  “I have a back room for just this purpose. How tall do you get anyway?” Lee was curious.

  “With my rack still full, my total height will be about nine feet. Five and a half feet at the shoulder.” She got to her feet. “Can you help me with the dress and shoes?”

  Lee smiled and followed her into the back room where she stripped Venny efficiently. “Anything else?”

  “Can you pull my contacts? I do it right handed usually.” She grimaced. Her hair was skating the lower edge of her shoulder blades, and it was currently the only thing she was wearing.

  Lee scrubbed her hands and pulled the brown contacts from her eyes with little difficulty. She had obviously done it a few times.

  Lee asked, “Can I watch your shift? I have never seen a deer like you before.” Venny nodded. “Stay in the doorway. I react aggressively to predators, and I won’t be able to make it through the door once I shift.” The medic nodded and watched her with wide eyes.

  Venezia leaned forward, arched her head up and let her reindeer out. Her hooves stomped the floor, and she shook her head, frustrated that she couldn’t run out of this tiny box. A scraping was heard as she raised her head, and her antlers touched the ceiling.

  The lioness made a noise, and Venny turned toward her, pawing the ground in threat. Lee backed up, and Venny calmed down, shifting back into her human form.

  She flexed her hand and smiled. “That’s better.” Her hand was still tender, but it wasn’t swollen anymore.

  Moving quickly, she got dressed and went out to meet Lee.

  Lee was busy with another patient.

  Athon was sitting on the table and his head bore the gash from her impact.

  “I am so sorry.” Venny winced as Lee put stitches in place.

  Athon stared at her. “You look different.” Just half an hour ago, he had been putting the moves on her, and now, he stared warily. “I know. This is what I actually look like, well, minus the clothing and heels.”

  He wasn’t wincing as Lee put the stitches in.

  Apparently, he didn’t think that shifting was the easier medical option. Venny looked him over in the bright light of the clinic. He had a heavy pelt of black hair liberally threaded with silver. His skin said that the silver was because of what he was, not his age. He was looking at her as if he was engaged in sudden recalculation.

  Venny sighed, her shoulders slumped.

  “Thanks, Lee.”

  “Come back in for a follow-up tomorrow.”

  “After my run.” She waved farewell and left the clinic, heading back to her room at the B&B and hopefully some sleep and a fresh, new day.

  Dira was sitting and embroidering a napkin with some fanciful designs. “Oh dear. It looks like you had a rough first day.”

  Venny fought tears. “Something like that. How many days do I get?”

  Dira took her by the hand and hauled her into the dining room, putting out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. “You get as many as you need. This isn’t love at first sight, this is a mate-for-life situation. You take as long as you need to get it right.”

  They sat and talked for half an hour, and just as Venny was getting to her feet, Athon came in through the door. He paused. “You.” She blinked and sat back down. “I am sorry.” Dira looked from one to the other. “You have met?”

  Venny touched her forehead, and Dira took the hint. “Athon, cookies?”

  He scowled and stalked in, sitting and glaring at Venny. “Albino, huh?”

  She blushed scarlet. “You are certainly perceptive. All the power, none of the colouration of a regular one of my herd.”

  Athon sneered, “No wonder you had to come here. None of your kind would have you.” Venny paled and got to her feet. “Thank you, Dira. The cookies were wonderful.”

  She returned to her room and gave the scent of fresh laundry a watery smile. She showered and looked at herself in the mirror. With the change in colouring, her features went from average to striking.

  It didn’t do her any good. She crawled into bed and hoped that tomorrow would be a better day with a fresh start. She could really use one.

  * * * *

  Dira got to her feet and struck Athon in the shoulder. “What is wrong with you?”

  “What? She was a reject. She came here to find someone who didn’t mind that she was a reject.” Athon bristled with irritation.

  “She was rejected today. She had a mate who had agr
eed to wait until she finished her work, and he decided that her cousin was a better bet. He didn’t tell her, and she found out today that she has no mate for her next heat. She has been putting them off so long that the next one is going to be violent if she doesn’t have the right partner.” Athon winced. “So her hair?”

  “Was to blend in with the humans. They hate albinos just as much as the supernatural races do. She is strong, she is proud and you just called her a reject. Are you trying to stay single for the rest of your life?”

  “Why are you so adamant about this?” He tried to frown, but the stitches holding his rapidly healing skin pulled.

  Dira shrugged. “I like her. She deserves far better than she has gotten, and in ancient times, she would have been worshiped as a god. She has a power signature that I have not seen in centuries.”

  Dira wandered away from him, tidying up and muttering to herself about lost gods and lost opportunities. She watched the thoughtful expression on Athon’s face as he left the dining room, and she sighed in relief. She hated getting in the middle of things, but now and then, fate needed a push.

  Athon had the same power signature. They were evenly matched, prey and predator, female and male, light and dark. In the old days, they would have been gods of fertility and wilderness.

  Now, they were flailing about searching for the one that would complete them. She was going to have to keep a close eye on how things were shaping up. That much power was volatile and easily changed direction when not tended properly.

  Chapter Five

  Just before dawn, Venny was out the door and running through the streets of the Crossroads.

  There were still people around from last night, but aside from curious glances, they did not interfere.

  Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she let her legs stretch as she sprinted past the meditation centre, the clinic and, gradually, the rest of the town that made up the Crossroads. When she had run one lap, she ran another and was on her third when a strange phenomenon occurred. Three males were following her, trying to keep up with her long-legged stride.