Butting In

Gera is the first guest at Axion B&B. She had no idea that the other guest is not playing by the rules of the Crossroads.

As the last unmarried daughter in her family, Gera has only one choice left—a trip to the Crossroads to find a mate before her sister’s wedding seems like a good idea.

Riox has been at the Crossroads helping his brother set up the new bed and breakfast. He was there to assist and to flirt with all the pretty ladies.

Meeting the first guest surprises him. Instead of the fun-loving females he had already met, Gera is shut down and solemn. The worst thing is she is immune to his charms.

At his brother’s urging, he offers to help the young lady get prepared to go into battle, and once he helps her choose some heels, his fate is sealed.

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Butting In

Copyright © 2016 Zenina Masters

ISBN: 978-1-4874-0690-5

Cover art by Carmen Waters

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.

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Butting In

Shifting Crossroads Book 35

By

Zenina Masters

Gera clapped her hands over her eyes. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

She backed out and closed the door behind her. She winced. Six. Now, she had seen six of her sisters and their fiancés in the act. She had collected the voyeur’s full set.

Gera retreated to the family room, and her mother started to laugh the moment that she appeared.

“I told you not to go up there. They were not discussing the china pattern.”

“I didn’t think they would be... they got their clothes off so fast.”

“You are not the youngest, Gera. You know how it feels when the blood rises.” Her mother sat and put another stitch in the tapestry she was working on.

“Uh, right. I am going to check on the fields. Lily will have to forgive me for the intrusion.”

Gera headed for the door when she heard her sister’s shout, and she picked up speed until the house was behind her along with her irate younger sibling.

Fields of lavender and roses stretched out in front of her. The herbal-ingredient market had surged, and pesticide-free plants grown in natural sunlight were all the rage. Williams’ Herb Supply was in excellent form and running in the black.

Seven daughters and five weddings with one looming in the future meant that her parents were successful in all aspects of their life. Gera was the only black spot.

How could she let her mother know that she had never gone into heat? It was a rite of passage that had completely slipped past her. Her father knew the truth, but he wouldn’t tell her secret if she didn’t want it known.

Gera headed to the seedling house to speak to her father. He was going to need to know she had prodded Lily a little before he went in for dinner.

The moment she walked in, he smiled as he lifted his head. “Who did you walk in on this time?”

“Lily. She is a little outraged right now.”

“You have an instinct for it. I have to admit that I have been the beneficiary of your timing on occasion. My darling Rose can’t get herself in an uproar with you butting in.”

She thought about all the times she had stepped between her parents and her mother’s face, and slumped and went to the planting table, sitting on a stool and pressing her head to the tabletop. “Why do I have such bad timing?”

“You will have to figure that out for yourself.” He patted her on the shoulder.

Robert Williams was a good father. Stubborn but that went with their animal.

“This is so stupid. Mom keeps asking why I haven’t chased down a man yet, and I am getting tired of trying to answer her.”

“If you want me to tell her, I will.” He patted the back of her head.

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I want her to know, but I don’t want her to be disappointed in me.”

“Oh, baby. There is nothing to be disappointed about. You are a talented woman with an instinct for nature. Your ability with plants is stunning, and you have skills that I am sure you haven’t even tapped into half of them.”

She raised her head. He brushed at the soil on her forehead. “Why do I have to do it alone?”

Her plaintive whine made him smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “You don’t. Call this number.”

He pulled out another envelope. “Use this as partial payment and charge everything to the family.”

She scowled at the name on the card. “Who is Eberhart?”

“A transporter. She will send you to the Crossroads, and you can find someone who will love you back.”

Gera stared at him. “Are you joking? The Crossroads is a last resort.”

“Your point being?”

She blinked at the obviousness of his comment. “Right. I am desperate.”

She dug her phone out of her back pocket.

“You have three weeks until Lily’s wedding. Use it to finish our family tree so that no branches are alone.” He chucked her under the chin with his knuckles.

Gera grinned. “So, more nuts in the tree.”

“Yes, please. If you can find your mate, we will finally have an even number of men and women at family gatherings.”

She chuckled and dialled the number. It was time to even her odds.

Gera packed a bag and waited in the rear gardens. The moon was high, and her parents were watching through the glass.

The spiral of light heralded the arrival of Eberhart. Gera clutched the envelope of horn and hoof in one hand, and she carried her bag with the other.

“Gera Williams?” The elegant, young woman asked with a smile.

“I am.”

“I am Eberhart.”

The woman produced a contract, and by the light of a glowing ball of magic, Gera signed it.

The envelope was handed over, and the last thing was for Gera to step into a disc of light that Eberhart waved into existence.

Gera glanced back at the house, waved to her parents and then turned and walked into the light.

The shifters that greeted her were urbane and practiced. There was a question in their entry protocol that surprised her, but she agreed. “Yes, I would consider one of the fey as a mate. If we sparked, there is no reason not to consider it. Nature knows what it is doing, right?”

Teal smiled. “It certainly does, but it tends to shock some of the folks who expect a shifter for a mate.”

Gera sighed. “My parents want me to find a mate; they didn’t specify a shifter.”

Tony laughed and produced a small charm with a pair of horns and a glittering stone in it. He tied it on her wrist.

“It will shift with you.”

Gera nodded. “Okay. Good.”

“Now, the Open Heart is our most popular B and B, but it is currently at capacity, so you are going to be one of the first guests at the Axion. It is next door to the Open Heart and the first fey-run business in the Crossroads. Let us know if anything is not to your liking.”

“A fey-run bed and breakfast?”

“Indeed. Drak is quite the consummate host, or so he claims. He is supposed to make you comfortable and leave it at that.”

Gera felt a little nervous. “So, that isn’t creepy at all.”

Teal got to her feet. “Come with me. I will introduce you.”

Gera grabbed her bag and followed her host out the door and down the street.

The Crossroads felt like a historic village with modern folks using it for everyday purposes. She saw the café, restaurant, spa and hair salon. The bar had a sign jutting outward to display the words Crossed Star with two streaking stars as the icon.

They turned and headed down another lane, and the large Victorian home at the end of the block had to be the Open Heart.

The Axion was the smaller building next to it. Teal walked with her to the door and knocked.

A man with golden skin and silver hair opened the door with a surprised smile. “Teal, how lovely to see you.”

“Drak, we have your first official guest.”

The man’s face nearly split in a broad grin. “Welcome, please, come in.”

Teal made the introductions, and Drak bowed over Gera’s hand. “Delighted to make your acquaintance, Ms. Williams.”

“Gera. Please.” She frowned in confusion. She had expected the contact static that many shifters claimed to feel with the fey. All she felt was warm skin and smooth lips.

A chime sounded and Teal grinned. “And there is Tony with the paperwork, five minutes late, as usual.”

Drak looked at the paperwork, nodded and smiled again. “Please, come this way.”

He took her bag and led the way up the stairs. Gera was interested in the view, but she scrambled after him.

“I will talk to you later, Teal.”

Teal’s laughter carried through the room, and the sound of the door closing confirmed that she had left Gera.

“The Axion is run on magic. We don’t try and pretend that there is actual electricity here. The lights are on verbal command. There are always refreshments in the dining room, and if you need anything delivered, make sure to tell the clerk at the general store that it is for the Axion. The Open Heart has been the main game in town for years.”

“You speak so normally.”

He chuckled and turned down a hall.

She followed him, and a door opened ahead of them.

“For a fey? Did you expect Shakespearian English?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I am still wondering why folks have told tales for years about the contact magic between fey and shifters. You felt completely normal to me.”

He smirked. “It is part of my agreement to occupy this place. I am wrapped in shifter magic. It will keep shifter ladies from swooning at my feet.”

He flicked his braid over his shoulder. “Now, you are the first paying guest, so let me know if you need anything else. Breakfast is anytime between dawn and ten in the morning; just come down and ask the room for anything you can think of. So, rest, and when you want to know about the Crossroads, you can just ask for me, and I will be there as quickly as I can.”

“Um, thank you. It was night when I left home, so I think I need to rest.”

Drak inclined his head. “Of course. Good rest to you, and I will see you when you wake.”

He put her bag in her room and returned to the hallway.

“You said that I was the first paying client. Who else is staying here?”

He chuckled. “My brother, Riox. He has been looking for his mate for a few weeks with no luck. I have to admire his stamina, he does keep trying.”

She chuckled. “Thank you, Drak. I am sure that I will enjoy the tales of his adventures, as long as they remain suitable for public consumption.”

“I can’t guarantee that, but if he gets out of hand, I promise to rein him in.” Drak winked.

He left her alone, and she headed into the room, looking around at the elegant and neat furnishings before closing the door.

Fatigue washed over her, so Gera stripped and crawled between the sheets, letting the protective barrier of sleep creep across her. She smiled as she dozed. This was not what she had expected.

Five minutes in the dining room with Drak told her that she was woefully underdressed. Her pretty t-shirt and jeans looked a little out of place in a room full of magic and hovering light.

She worked for a living, so the breakfast disappeared from her plate without any hesitation.

Drak waved his hand, and a carafe poured a cup of coffee.

“Cream and sugar?”

“Yes, please. One teaspoon of sugar and a bit of cream.”

The other silver serving units floated past the cup and put the requested items into the coffee. When it was ready, it floated over and settled in front of her as the plate was whisked away.

Drak smiled helpfully. “Do you know what you are looking for?”

Gera shook her head. “Not a clue. This is my father’s idea.”

“You were not interested in coming here?”

She laughed. “I am not interested in anything. Not man, nor woman, nor beast, nor god as my gran used to say. She was very practical about my situation.”