Hawking a Future

by Zenina Masters

  To her surprise, she checked the label and the bra was a 38F. No wonder the band was more comfortable. She turned, twisted and finally slipped on the first of the sundresses that Andy had picked out for her.

  The mirrors in the change room were too close, so she opened the curtain and stepped outside. Tovin was leaning against the doorframe. “Yikes!”

  He grinned. “The dress looks good, but I think I can see all the way down to your toes.”

  She glared at him and moved to the three-way mirror. The dress was good, but it was way too tight at the bust line, too wide at the waist, and snug at the hips.

  Andy came by. “Right. More of a 50s style. Back in a minute.”

  Tovin stood behind her in the mirror and wrapped his arms around her. “When we bond, you will be able to make the minor modifications to the fabric to tailor it to you.”

  “Wonderful. What do I do now?”

  “Choose a different dress.”

  Andy came to her with a series of separates that held promise, but they weren’t what she was looking for.

  “They look adorable, and I want to try them on, but do you have something in a boring jersey dress that won’t tangle with my beasts?”

  Andy’s eyes lit up, and he handed the clothing to Tovin. “I have just the thing.”

  Hayley scowled. “One would think this was your shopping trip.”

  He shrugged. “I am the one who will be looking at your wardrobe. I have a vested interest.”

  He picked out a top and skirt. “Try these.”

  She began a one-hour ordeal of clothing, shoes and a nightmare of static cling that made her glad she had braided her hair.

  Out of all the fighting and fussing, she came out of the ordeal with a dozen pairs of panties, four bras, two sets of flats, two medium pairs of pumps and two high-heeled pumps. Clothing wise, she had four blouses, two skirts and three dresses that hugged every exaggerated curve as well as two jersey dresses that gave her plenty of room to move.

  She was wearing a black blouse and a flaring blue skirt over one higher set of pumps.

  Tovin smiled.

  Andy grinned. “I will have everything else sent to the Open Heart.”

  Her stomach rumbled again, and Tovin offered his arm. “I have made reservations at the restaurant if you would care to join me.”

  “They have food?” She swore that spots were swimming in front of her eyes, making his face all splotchy.

  “They do.”

  “Good, because if I don’t get a breadstick in the next ten minutes, I am going to start chewing on you.” She held onto him and leaned a little more than she would normally allow. She was tired, she was hungry and her senses were out of her control.

  They were on their way to the restaurant when Teal stopped them. “Hayley, how are you feeling?”

  “Tired and hungry. Tovin has promised me food. Get out of the way or I will bite my way through you and I won’t use my beasts.”

  Teal ignored her muttering and took her by the chin, staring into her eyes. “How long since you have eaten?”

  She rubbed her face. “I had some of Tovin’s blood when I was a bat. Nothing since.”

  Teal looked at Tovin. “Get her food. Now. I will speak with Al and get her something special as a starter.”

  Teal made it into the restaurant before them, and as Tovin spoke to the greeter, they were settled at the table and a basket of warm bread and butter arrived. Hayley was into it before she had finished getting her skirt out from under her.

  A rich broth was settled in front of her. The bowl had two handles, and she used them both to bring the cup to her lips. Tovin left his chair and helped her shaking hands steady the cup as she drank deeply. The broth was rich, dark and tasted like it had everything she needed.

  A second cup appeared, and Tovin helped her with that one as well.

  Teal knelt beside the table and looked Hayley over the moment that she was finished. “Better. You will need to keep an eye on her, Tovin. Her body has started to burn twice the amount of calories as she used to. That means food doesn’t go as far. For the first few weeks, she needs a solid meal after every change. It gets easier with time, but for now, Hayley, you need to keep a milkshake in a thermos or something near your shift site.”

  Hayley was halfway through a bread roll. “Why are you telling him?”

  Teal grinned. “You have been gawked at by nine different men, four of whom were fey, and it didn’t even register on your radar. Tovin is yours, you are his, and now, you just need to settle yourself before you can go forward.”

  Hayley wrinkled her nose, and she reached for more bread and her butter knife. “You can sit down, Tovin. I feel a little more stable now. Thank you, Teal.”

  “Come by tomorrow, and I will show you the basics of flying. Well, Tony will. I run a little to take off. You will need to learn to do it hopping style.”

  She nodded. “Right. Of course. Tomorrow?”

  “Any time after you wake up. You haven’t had the advantage of a cast or a cloud to teach you what you need to know. We are already seeking hints on how to help you get the most from your beasts. Tutors may be needed when you rejoin the human world.”

  Hayley nodded. It was as if she had suffered a trauma and they were looking for specialists. The funny thing was she didn’t know if they were wrong.

  Chapter Six

  “When were you first introduced to the shifter community?”

  Hayley brushed crumbs off her fingers. “I was thirteen when a woman arranged visitation. She was supervised by the caretaker at my group home and asked me some pointed questions about my body and my senses. I found out a few years later that she was my aunt on my mother’s side.”

  “That was it?”

  “When I was sixteen, my father’s side got into the mix, and I did my first transport to the shifter council headquarters. I was examined and pronounced to be a dud. Two beasts, no show. They put me back where they found me, and I got on with my life until five years ago. The recovery centre had always been a place of haven for shifters who had suffered a trauma, but when the collections started to be rescued, they needed to process them en masse. That meant that my peculiar access to both of my beasts’ senses would be handy in monitoring the groups.”

  He smiled at the server as the young man brought them both soup. The bread was long gone.

  When they were alone again, he asked, “You monitored?”

  “I watched shifters for signs of stress, imminent shifts and outbursts of violence. When a victim...when a shifter has been confined, their emotions had to be stifled and that frustration and rage builds up. If the beasts get mad enough, they lash out when they can. The abused human can no longer control the abused animal.”

  Tovin rubbed the back of his neck. “I take pride in the rescues. I have not really given much thought to what happens next.”

  Hayley brushed the crumbs from her lap and put the napkin down before settling in front of her soup. “I have only seen the aftermath. I often wonder what normal, healthy shifters look and act like.”

  “What about the therapists and counsellors?”

  “They all focus on their jobs. What they do in their own time is their business. I really can’t participate in a shift or the wonder of my other limbs, so I ended up in the role of Rudolph not being able to join in any reindeer games. I am one of them, but not one of them.”

  She used her spoon and the bowl was empty in moments. “I cannot believe how hungry I feel.”

  Tovin smiled. “My partner eats like a horse, though now she is my sister-in-law, so I don’t know how that is going to work.”

  “How did they meet? Your brother and your partner?”

  He smiled and chuckled. “She was ordered to take some time off, and since she had been seen by our seers, she was asked to take that time off here.”

  “What happened?”

  “Well, she agreed, got here, went to the bar, and when we walked in to the bar, she took one lo
ok at him, and it was like watching two marbles roll downhill to collide in the middle. There was no doubt that Yval was meant for Drorik.”

  “What does he do?”

  Tovin pursed his lips a little. “It is hard to explain. He sort of watches the transports of all fey through a family enchantment.”

  “Is he older or younger than you?”

  “Older by twenty years. We are fairly close in age for a fey family.” He smiled and sat back.

  The server took their bowls away and brought in an exquisitely arranged appetiser.

  “It looks almost too pretty to eat.” She looked at Tovin and grinned. “Almost.”

  Elaborately carved vegetables were perched on crackers with slivers of tuna carpaccio. Sadly, it was gone in seconds.

  Hayley looked up at him and asked, “Did we order?”

  He grinned and shook his head, swallowing quickly. “I think they just started bringing us food when your eyes glowed red. They are back to your normal warm gold now.”

  “Red?”

  “Yes. Well, via my vision, your eyes were burning with red energy.” He shrugged.

  She blushed. “Oh. Well, that is good to know.”

  “I am guessing it had something to do with your transformations taking too much out of you. What was in that cup?”

  Hayley shrugged. “I have no idea. It just tasted like everything I needed at the time.”

  She wanted to say that it gave her the same sensation as kissing him, but she wasn’t sure how he would take the comparison.

  The next course arrived, and they both went quiet.

  There was no way that she ever would have thought that she could consume and clear a fifteen-course dinner. By the time she finished the second dessert, she was pleasantly full and very relaxed.

  Tovin was having a glass of wine, but Hayley was sticking to lemonade. Her control was spotty enough without alcohol being a factor.

  “How are you doing? Do you feel a shift coming on?”

  She shook her head. “No. I feel fine. Tired, but fine.”

  “Would you care to go dancing?”

  Hayley looked at him, and he extended his hand to her. She slid her fingers along his palm and wrapped them around his wrist. His clearly chiselled lips smiled.

  She looked at him, really looked at him for the first time. “What is your last name?”

  He smiled; his dark-lavender and gold eyes sparkled. “Arrowheart. We never did formal introductions, did we?”

  “No, we didn’t. Hayley Hyland. I was born of two shifters who hooked up and my mother got pregnant against the odds. I have lived all my life with two beasts that didn’t bother rising until you kissed me. For the last five years, I have been working with the shifter council to help shifters with their recovery after confinement and abuse.”

  He nodded. “I am a hunter for the high court of the fey lands, but most of the time, I help out in our community with the rest of my family. We live in a small town, and I have a house there.”

  “I rent an apartment.”

  He grinned. “Are we doing small talk?”

  She felt the thrumming of his pulse under her fingers. “We are. How will your family feel about you bringing home a freak of nature?”

  He chuckled. “Drorik has already brought Yval home. You will be a breath of fresh air.”

  She blinked. “Your partner?”

  “She was my commander on the team. I said partner to make the association more understandable.” His lips quirked. “And since you are reading my pulse to see if I am lying, I think it best to stick to the truth.”

  She moved her hand, and he caught her wrist, keeping her fingers around his arm.

  “I don’t mind. Any touch from you is better than a kiss from any other woman.”

  She blushed. “Right, tell me about Yval and your brother.”

  “Well, Yval is a shifter. Tasmanian devil. She can be a little temperamental, and Drorik has the kind of patience that only an older brother can manage. He is dour, she is quick and aggressive, so I think they are a good match.”

  “I have never heard of that kind of shifter.” She was fascinated, and her fingers stroked his inner wrist.

  He glanced down at her hand. “Her bloodline came over from Australia.”

  “Remarkable.”

  She was watching the curl of his dark hair over the point of his ear, and a small black stone winked at her from the upper segment. “Are your ears pierced?”

  He looked abashed. “The cartilage is, on both sides. I only wear the one stone for daily wear. I have more for formal occasions. Elf ears are fairly elastic and the holes disappear when I remove the loops.”

  “That is so neat. I only have these hoops. My holes grow closed if I don’t leave them in.” She flicked the white gold hoop in her right ear.

  He nodded and smiled. “When did you last have an intimate encounter?”

  She knew that was going to come up. “With another person? Never.”

  He blinked. “Never?”

  “Nope. Don’t get me wrong, I have experimented, but not with another person.”

  He absorbed that and finally said, “Why not?”

  “Honestly? Men lie. When they start to say anything to get me into bed, I put the brakes on. If they make a fuss, I make them leave in no uncertain terms.”

  He nodded. “I have no pretence. I want you in my bed, first and foremost.”

  She smiled. “I am aware of that, but to answer your earlier question, first, we should dance.” She pulled her hand back and tossed her napkin on the table.

  He got to his feet, extending his hand to her with a graceful bow. The bill had been taken care of, and they slipped out the door with his hand holding hers and his other around her waist.

  They swept into the bar and took to the dance floor. Swaying together, Tovin pulled her close and twirled her around the dance floor over and over until she clung to him, laughing.

  “Enough. I want to sit down and relax.”

  He leaned in to be heard over the music. “Here or the Open Heart.”

  “The Open Heart. I want to know if Teebie hung up all my clothing. She is horribly efficient.”

  “I am sure that she did. Let’s go and find out.”

  He kept his arm around her waist and steered her through the crowd. Hayley waved at Spike as she passed, and the bartender waved back.

  Out in the night air, Hayley took a deep breath. “It feels like a good night.”

  Tovin agreed. “It does indeed.”

  She put her arm around his waist. “You are just saying that because you are going to get laid.”

  She felt him tense.

  He grinned. “In that case...”

  Tovin lifted her in his arms and carried her through the Crossroads with her laughing and blushing the entire way to the bed and breakfast.

  It was going to be a good night.

  Chapter Seven

  “Your room is bigger than mine.” Tovin grinned as he shouldered the door shut without letting go of her.

  “Now, now. Maybe Teebie just thinks I am more important, or it could be because I let her put me on the third floor.”

  He set her down on the bed, and she braced herself on her hands while he levered off her shoes. To her shock, he rubbed her feet until they were no longer tingling.

  “How did you know?”

  “I have never met a woman in my life that didn’t want a foot rub after wearing heels.”

  “So, how many women have you rubbed before me?” She arched her brow.

  “Over my life? Probably twenty. Several of them are retirement age by now. The latest one was six months ago.” He smiled. “And yours are the last pair of feet I am touching.”

  She nodded, and his truth was paramount. His promise of dedicated foot rubs was for her alone. He was making a vow of sorts, and she could feel it in his pulse, see it in the glow of his skin.

  It was a silly thing, but in that moment, it meant a lot. She was literally pu
tting herself in his hands, and her senses were going to be useless.

  “You tensed up like you are preparing for battle.” He smiled, shifted to sit next to her and pulled her feet firmly into his lap.

  “I am getting ready for a new set of stimuli. I won’t be able to read you when you get close, and I have to prepare myself to be blind.”

  “So, this is a little frightening to you.” He ran his knuckles along the arch of her foot.

  “More nerve wracking. I have never let a man get this close before.”

  “I am honoured to be the first in this proximity.”

  She smiled. “I don’t know if it is an honour or a punishment.”

  “I am delighted to have it become a life sentence.”

  She balanced on one arm and reached out to stroke the line of his cheekbone, trailing her fingertip over the edge of his ear. He turned his head toward her, pressing his cheek to her palm. He kissed her palm and flicked his tongue against her skin.

  The small jolt of pleasure tensed her up and started a chain reaction in her body. He let her feet go, and she scooted closer to him until she was perched in his lap.

  He slid his fingers into her hair and held her as he leaned in for a kiss.

  Hayley let her lips get used to the riot of the senses that she was experiencing. The firm and controlled touch of his mouth on hers caused her own reflexes to kick in. The kiss when from arousing to carnal in under a minute. She gasped, she twisted, and when she came out of her daze, she was straddling him, up on her knees and he was leaning back to support them both.

  Hayley blinked and looked at his aroused and amused face. “What just happened?”

  “As Teal would say, I believe you took it on instinct.”

  She blushed, but her skin was flushed, so she didn’t know if it was visible. “What do we do next?”

  “I am delighted to let you lead. Where you go, I will follow.”

  Hayley took his lower lip between hers, plucked at it and laved her tongue across it. He shuddered, but it wasn’t enough.

  She unbuttoned her shirt, unzipped her skirt and put her hands on his belt, loosening the buckle until she undid the clasp. Button by button, she opened his shirt while he watched her.