Snake Charmer

by Zenina Masters

  Chapter Three

  Teal took her on the tour around the Crossroads and escorted her to the bed and breakfast that she had booked. Finally, Yvena’s savings were paying off.

  “So, you were one of the stolen shifters?” Teal blurted it out as if she had been stifling the urge to ask and lost the battle.

  “I was. They pulled my venom for use in spells.”

  Teal shivered. “That must have been painful.”

  “Oh, I assure you it was. But, now, I am on my way to a new life and a new partnership with, hopefully, the right man for me.”

  “Well, that is why we are here. A safe environment to meet other shifters, no matter the species. That said, you are aware that the manager of the Open Heart is not precisely a shifter?”

  Yvena cocked her head. “What species is it?”

  “Teebie is a djinn. We just try to warn new arrivals. She doesn’t mind folks staring, but she does things a little differently.”

  “Okay. I have met a djinn before. Generally good folk, though a little stuck up.”

  “Teebie isn’t like that. She also has traditional colouring.”

  Yvena smiled, “Extremely blue then.”

  “That is the word for it.”

  They turned down the walk toward the large Victorian-style building. The door opened when they touched the steps, and a blue woman in jeans, a t-shirt and a long, flowing chiffon coat stood in the doorway.

  “Yvena, welcome to the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast; I am your host and my name is Teebie. Did you get the complete tour?”

  Teal snorted. “It is a slow day. I was even able to show her a sunny rock to curl up on.”

  “Good. Please, Yvena, come this way.” Teebie stood aside to allow her entry into the building.

  Teal inclined her head. “Come to me if there is any question that Teebie can’t answer. She knows almost everything going on around here but something may pop up.”

  Teebie snorted. “Almost everything.”

  Yvena smiled, “Thank you for the tour, Teal. I am sure I will see you around.”

  Teal waved and headed back down the sidewalk.

  Yvena turned toward her host. “Thank you for your welcome into your domain.”

  Teebie smiled, “You have met a djinn before.”

  “I have. I went to high school with one. He could pass for human when he wasn’t using magic. The moment he did, he went as blue as a summer sky.”

  They crossed the threshold into the entryway, and Teebie examined her payment charm for a moment. “I have keyed it to your room. The ouroboros is on the door.”

  “I haven’t eaten my own tail for weeks.”

  “Funny, Yvena. It is just a method to tell the differences between rooms. This week, I have three people. One will be leaving tomorrow and one arriving.”

  “And I am here now.”

  “Precisely. I have increased the heat in your room as well as providing you with a relaxation spot if you choose to shift.”

  “I am a little off shifting right now. I am sure I will get over it, but right now, it isn’t in the cards.”

  Teebie led her up the stairs and showed her to her room.

  The snake eating its tail did give a definite impression. The lock on the door unlatched when she reached for it. Yvena opened it and sighed happily at the bright and lush surroundings. The hot rock was situated in a corner and didn’t interfere with the flow of the room.

  “It is lovely, Teebie.”

  “Thank you. I designed it based on the specifications in your forms. There is a reason we make you fill out all that crap. It isn’t just because Transporters are jealous of us having our own dating dimension.”

  Yvena shrugged. “I know that the fey are. They miss the good old days when they could spirit their lovers away to a place outside time and space and get rid of them when they were done.”

  Teebie snorted, “Nostalgia means different things to different people.”

  “Very much so.” Yvena put her bag across the luggage rack. “Do you have the time?”

  “It is late afternoon. Would you like some coffee?”

  “Please, if I am not taking you away from your normal routine.”

  “You are not. I am sure that you have questions that have cropped up. Let’s have a nice chat. You are the first serpent that has come through my doors. I would like to ask a few things as well if possible.”

  “Of course. A trade of information.”

  They headed out of the room and the door closed behind her.

  She was in the Crossroads; it was time to let nature take its course and her nature needed information.

  Walking into the Crossed Star Bar was a little unsettling. When Teal had brought her in during the tour, a man named Chuck had been restocking the glassware. Yvena had heard of nagas before but never met one. He was also wearing the band that Teebie had said indicated he was married.

  Yvena exhaled in relief. He was a man her mother would have approved of, but he wasn’t the type of man for her.

  She went up to the bar and smiled. “Hello.”

  He inclined his head. “What can I get for you?”

  “What do you have in the red wine range?”

  He grinned. “What would you like?”

  “A dark, fruity pinot noir.”

  “I have just the thing.”

  He plucked a glass from the rack and poured a glass of deep, rich red, finishing it with a sharp twist.

  He handed her the glass, and she inhaled deeply. It was heady and rich. She smiled. “Thank you, snake lord.”

  He chuckled. “Call me Chuck.”

  She extended her hand. “Yvena. My compliments on your manners to your lovely wife.”

  He laughed, “I had the manners long before Ivy, though she does help me with my witty retorts. You are a serpent?”

  “I am. Was. I am not sure anymore.” She smiled. “Thanks for the wine. I am going to have a seat and weigh my options.”

  He dried a glass off the cleaning rack. “It is a varied selection tonight. Good hunting, Yvena.”

  Hunting is what it would be. With a slight frown, she headed toward some of the open tables with high stools. She perched on one and watched the bar slowly fill up while she sipped at the wine.

  Now that she was here, she was a little unsure at how to proceed. It wasn’t like snagging a mouse in a field; the prey was much larger and probably not as attracted to grain.

  She felt her skirt swirl around her calves and went through the motions of the dance with the charming man who had asked her after her previous partner had released her. Yvena wasn’t feeling a spark with either of them, but they were good dancers and they got her away from her solitary splendour.

  “Have you been here long?” He spoke softly in her ear.

  “No. I just arrived this afternoon. I am a little unnerved by the process.” She smiled sheepishly at him, kicking herself mentally for lying. There was no spark, and she didn’t want to tell him.

  “I would be happy to give you the benefit of my two days of experience here.”

  She grinned, “I would love to hear it, but I have to make my rounds first.”

  The song came to an end, and he took the hint, escorting her back to her table.

  She had finished two glasses of wine and danced with four men. There were no sparks yet, but it was her first day. She got to her feet and headed for the door, giving Chuck a quick nod.

  As she always did when walking alone, she flicked her eyes to serpentine and popped her fangs. It was a habit that she didn’t see herself breaking anytime soon. With her dark hair, dark dress and dark shoes, the only parts of her that were visible were her arms and calves.

  Her senses were on alert and she opened her mouth to taste the air. She had been off her guard one time and it had almost cost her her life. She would not make that mistake again.

  Her shoes crunched on the ground as she walked toward the
bed and breakfast. Yvena heard someone behind her, but when she turned, it was a couple heading toward the shadows of the forest, giggling softly. She grinned when she recognised her first dance partner. Apparently, he had struck it lucky and found a woman willing to test drive their compatibility.

  She wasn’t counting on that kind of luck, not right away. She flicked her tongue out again before confirming that she was alone. Sighing, she turned and headed for the one place she knew was completely safe. The Open Heart Bed and Breakfast was completely warded by Teebie and knowing that there was a haven for her that no one could break into made Yvena feel comfort for the first time in months. She might even sleep tonight.

  Chapter Four

  Struggling to free her head consumed her, and Yvena sat up with a gasp as she shook loose from the dream. “Damn.”

  Shaking, she got out of bed and put on her robe, heading down the stairs into the sitting room, curling up on the couch and staring into the fireplace, though there was no fire in it.

  How much longer could she stay up in the night and catch the missing sleep during the day? Her family were day hunters. Night was not where they did their best work and she didn’t need to be awake.

  There was no mystery as to why she woke up in the night. That is when they had come for the venom and that is when she had been fed.

  The humiliation of having a syringe of mulched mouse jammed down her throat and injected into her belly had been second only to the pain it caused. Her jaws had worked but they had kept well clear of her.

  Twice, she had ripped through the nails that had pinned her to the board. That is when they turned to clamps that had been scavenged from jumper cables. When she had been rescued, her cobra’s hood had been in tatters and she had been unseeing and unable to think.

  The rescuers freed her and put her in a bag, carrying her to the medics. They had used a snake handler’s hook to hold her down while they began the first treatment to stop the bleeding.

  Liander had been assigned to her as a caregiver the second day, and he had held her for the healing as it regenerated her skin and the torn muscle.

  Since that first day of freedom, every night she had woken fighting to free herself from agonizing restraints that were no longer there. The only answer was to remove herself from her room until she was tired again. Walking around and proving her freedom had become as essential to her state of mind as getting enough sleep to begin with.

  She would feel fatigue eventually, and when she did, she would return to bed. Until then, she would just sit and stare into the fire that wasn’t there, wishing for a glass of milk with honey.

  She stared into the fireplace, thinking of the man who wasn’t there.

  Yvena sat at the breakfast table with a coffee and a muffin.

  Teebie was bustling around and politely flustered.

  “What is up, Teebie?”

  “New guest. He is also a species I haven’t dealt with before.”

  “What is he?”

  Teebie winked, “That is his information. He isn’t an exotic; his people just tend to find their matches in their own circles.”

  “Fascinating. My folk are similar. We can always find a match with our own kind, but the women are obligated to take on the burden of the family. My father was an exception and his work ethic and lack of sleep got him into a head-on collision with a tree on his way home from a double shift.”

  “What do you look like when you are shifted?” Teebie relaxed and took a seat, but there was a faraway look in her eyes.

  “I am about fourteen feet long, black with a yellow-grey chevron pattern that runs down my spine.”

  “Oh, no eyes on your hood?”

  “No, I am a different type of cobra. King cobras are a different genus than the others. We are delightfully neurotoxic if that is of interest.”

  Teebie blinked, “Fascinating. I mean, I am aware of using king cobra venom in spellcraft, but I never thought to meet one. Mind you, I am not in the mood for a revenge spell.”

  “We also can be used to repel or destroy other snakes. They are exceptionally tasty.”

  Teebie shuddered. “I see. I think I will get you another muffin.”

  Yvena grinned, “Please. More honey, too.”

  Her host retreated to the kitchen, and Yvena nibbled at her muffin, smiling despite her short sleep.

  Yvena had a run planned for after breakfast, though it would be more of a slow jog. The other guest and its companion hadn’t stirred yet, though Yvena’s senses had picked up on their heated hormones when she returned to her bed that morning. Whatever they were, they were compatible on the sexual plane.

  She really didn’t need to see them in afterglow.

  Teebie returned with another tray of muffins.

  Yvena slathered one in honey and tucked a napkin under it. She felt the couple upstairs stirring.

  “Time for me to get some exercise.” She winked at Teebie.

  “With a muffin?” The dark blue eyebrows rose.

  “Don’t judge the way I choose to exercise and I won’t critique your inky fingers. Been writing?”

  Teebie looked at her hands and grinned. “You could see the ink against my skin?”

  With a quick flick of her serpent’s tongue, Yvena headed for the door. “I can taste it.”

  Outside, she ate the muffin and headed for the meadow containing the large rock that Teal had pointed out the day before. Her inner snake loved the idea of a hot rock.

  With care, she licked every bit of honey from her fingers and folded the napkin neatly, tucking it into her bra for later disposal. Sighing as she started a slow jog, Yvena tried to get a handle on what she was really doing here.

  In the harsh light of day, she wasn’t truly looking for a mate. She was looking for a hiding place.

  Her kind could be vicious when backed into a corner, but no one had let her defend herself. They had used subterfuge and brute force to hold her, and it had ripped away the one thing that she always had before that moment. She had felt safe.

  She never felt safe anymore. It was the legacy of being stolen and tortured.

  Yvena found a large rock out in the sun, warming under the delicate rays. It was cool to the touch but warming rapidly. With care and determination, she removed her clothing and forced herself to shift out in the open.

  Slithering onto the rock, she picked the highest spot available and curled up in a neat coil. It took nerve to be out where anyone could see her, but she forced herself into the spot and held her position.

  If nerve would help her regain her confidence in just being herself, her inner beast might recover enough to take over now and then, but her cobra had been hiding inside her since she had been pinned. Her human had had to take over while in her serpent form, and it hadn’t been comfortable. The delineation between a shifter’s species was what kept them sane. The animal took care of animal things, and the human took care of the rest. Being forced to do both had shaken her faith in herself.

  She couldn’t rescue her beast from torture and couldn’t shift back to human. She had the worst of all worlds, two bodies and only one faulty set of instincts.

  Yvena remained on the warming rock as long as she could before she shifted back and got dressed. She was in the wrong place once again. She had no business being at the Crossroads. She needed to get home and find her centre.

  It was time to talk to Teal.

  The swan with the ivory hair smiled politely. “But you just got here.”

  Yvena sipped at the tea and tried not to make a face. Tea was not her favourite beverage. Lemonade and coffee were her preferred daytime consumables.

  “I know I just got here and one night dancing with strangers was all I needed to know that I am in the wrong place once again. I am still too damaged to seek out a mate. It is not fair to the man I would meet or the children I would have. I need to go home.”

  Teal twisted her lips. “It is highly unusual and you w
ill not be able to return. Why don’t you sleep on it, and if you still want to leave tomorrow, Tony and I will send you home.”

  Yvena sighed in relief. “Thank you. It will make my time here a lot more enjoyable.”

  “You have enjoyed your stay so far?”

  “One day has taught me a lot about myself and how I relate to strangers. The current conclusion that I have drawn is that I would not be fair to myself or my partner to come to them in this state. I will return home and deal with my issues before I go and seek out a mate. I will succeed or fail on my own.”

  Teal smiled, “Then you have made up your mind. Good. The survivors were allowed leeway when it comes to arrivals and departures. Our society has never had a situation like this. Dozens of representatives of species were taken and abused for sale to human magic users. For a while, we had deluded ourselves that the items we sold to get transporter service would be enough, but it seems that in their world, there is a black market and the lions sought to fill it.”

  “There is a market for everything. Those who are using my venom will feel effects that they had not anticipated. It will cut both ways. They might gain their vengeance, but it will be at a physical cost.”

  Teal took a cookie and raised her brows. “What will happen?”

  “Well, from what I know of these things, the venom will be applied with heat. The moment that it evaporates, my pain and rage will be inhaled into their lungs and it will begin to degrade them.”

  Teal winced. “Ouch. Well, hopefully, they will learn their lesson.”

  She shrugged. “I hope so. I do give venom away for the asking. I believe that it was my regular requester who tipped the lions off to my whereabouts.”

  “Nasty. What do you have planned for the traitor?”

  Yvena sipped some tea and made a face. “Nothing. If they got any of the black-market venom, they will have been punished enough, and if not, they may not have known what information they were giving was going to lead where it did. I am willing to forgive and forget. I have learned that life is too short to cling to grudges. You have to stand up and get yourself in good shape. Once you are whole, you can help others.”