Snake Charmer (7 page)

His belly flexed, and she hissed with laughter. He was either aroused or ticklish.

The scent and taste of flowers filled her senses. She flicked the flowers away from the stalk rising from them and focussed on tasting him.

Salty, sweet, her own musk and his distinct scent washed over her. She flicked at him while he seeped precum. She felt his hand wrap in her hair, but she continued to flick at him as she enjoyed the depth of sensory stimulation she was getting. He tasted like nothing and no one she had ever been near before.

She could feel the blood pulsing through him and flicked her tongue on the flared head of his cock faster and faster until he groaned and white jets spewed out to land on the flower petals.

She licked lightly at the drops left behind and was startled when another jet caught her unawares. She coughed and licked her lips, taking in the musky drops.

He sighed and lay back.

She knew a man who was exhausted when she saw one. He was definitely not up for more playtime.

Yvena crawled over him and snuggled against him. “A good start.”

He trailed a finger over her lips. “A very good start. Only a few small things to take care of and we are on our way to a glorious future.”

“I can hardly wait.”

She snuggled against him and relaxed, letting his breathing lull her into sleep.

It was a knock that woke her in the night, not nightmares. She got up and went to the door, hiding behind it as she opened it a crack. “Yes?”

“Yvena? There is a snake in the hot tub area and a couple is trapped there. I have told them that a neighbour has a trained snake that can get rid of it, but they need to stay in the tub. I came to get you right away.”

Yvena shifted and came around the corner, looking at Rowena with blank eyes. Rowena led her through the facility and pointed toward the hot tub and the large rattler that was holding court.

He was agitated. The couple were talking loudly and splashing every time he moved. He didn’t like that.

Yvena let out her low rumble, and he turned his head toward her. She cruised in with purpose. His posture was confrontational; he was simply too agitated to go away.

She moved fast, ignoring the additional shrieks of the couple.

Rowena told them to stay calm.

Yvena struck him hard, knocking him back a few feet and holding him behind the head while his body thrashed. Killing an innocent animal was not her favourite occupation, but sometimes, she enjoyed taking down the jerks of the wild world. This serpent was one such jerk.

Her body twined with his as she dragged him away from the humans and into the shadows. Once he was dead, she lifted him and cruised into the darkness outside the spa walls. She spit him out for the local scavengers and flexed her jaw.

She didn’t want to explain that she had eaten him, so she returned to the spa and followed her own scent back to the room. Yvena kept to the shadows, happy that her dark colouration concealed her. The couple was a little excited and Rowena was busy calming them and assuring them that the snake show was over.

Yvena met Rowena’s gaze and returned to her room.

She slithered into the room, shifted and closed the door.

A drowsy Liander leaned up on one elbow. “You are up early.”

“I had to take care of a snake issue. A couple was trapped in a hot tub, and I had to take care of it.” She yawned and crawled on top of him again.

“You sent it away?”

“I had to kill him. I dropped the body outside the spa walls.” She yawned again.

“Did you eat it?”

“No. I didn’t have time and didn’t want to gross out Rowena. I am on delicate ground with her as it is.”

He stroked a hand up her back and held her as he relaxed again. “Good. I am planning on taking you out for breakfast. Didn’t want you to ruin your appetite.”

She grinned at his unquestioning acceptance and went to sleep with a thudding in her heart that had nothing to do with her exertions and everything to do with the man easing her into rest.

He grinned as she ordered what must have seemed like half the menu.

Yvena made a face and sipped at her coffee, easing a smile of relief out. “Where are we going to live?”

“There are cottages just outside the spa. We can build our own place if you like. There is plenty of land to build on.”

He had insisted on a table for four, and she knew it was not just because of her ordering habits.

“We are going to need a coffeemaker. Maybe two. I can see why you didn’t warn me. That was the one thing guaranteed to make me run.” She sipped the coffee gratefully.

“We will grab one on the way home today. For now, we are waiting for the local transporter. I made an appointment while you were in the shower this morning.”

She snorted. “I knew you weren’t just getting pruney.”

He grinned.

An elegant woman with dark red hair joined them. She ordered a coffee and smiled at Yvena. “I am Mary; how do you do?” she extended her hand and Yvena took it.

Magic flowed up her arm to the elbow and returned to Mary. “I did better before whatever that was. I am Yvena.”

Mary blushed, “You felt that? I apologize. I am incredibly curious about…new people.”

“As am I. I simply ask them.” Yvena sipped at her coffee.

They were in the back area of the café and no one was in the area nearby.

“Liander filled me in on a few details, but he was reticent of sharing details about you. I need details if the guild master is to agree that your case is a true matching of deadly opposites.”

“Did you get what you needed?”

Mary blushed, “Not really. You are some kind of reptile, but I don’t know what kind.”

Yvena leaned forward and whispered, “King cobra.” She sat back and sipped at her coffee again. “I have donated my venom in the past, but if it is the price for equal footing with my mate, I would gladly trade venom for the spell. With the guild master being the registered source, it would also afford me a measure of protection in case someone else thought that gaining custody of me again would be a benefit.”

Mary caught on immediately. “You would be protected by the guild. Very nicely done.”

“It was Liander’s idea.” She smiled and sat back as her fruit tray arrived.

“I will just have my coffee and make that call.” Mary grinned. “It is very handy having the transport guild master wed to the mage guild master. We have a lot more clout than we have ever had before.”

Liander sat and made notes on a napkin using a pen the waitress handed to him when he asked.

“What are you doing, Liander?”

He glanced at her and smiled. “Shopping list. I also have to arrange a trip to your home for us so that we can transport your clothing and any items you want.”

“Oh, good idea.” She munched on berries and kept an eye on the kitchen. She wanted pancakes in the worst way.

When the waitress came by with the carafe of coffee, she held her cup up proudly. It had been an eventful twenty-four hours.

With the cup refilled, she added cream and sugar, sipping gratefully before she slurped at the water glass.

“So, Mary, how long have you been in your line of work?”

“As with most in my occupation, since I was a teen. I have been in this area for the last fifteen years and have sent fifteen folk to the Crossroads. Normally, I do cross-country transports.”

Mary smiled, and they chatted about inconsequential things. When the food arrived, Mary said her goodbyes and whispered, “King cobra?”

With a pancake wedged in her mouth, Yvena gave her a thumbs-up.

Liander was laughing as his own meal arrived. He made his goodbyes, and Mary left the establishment.

* * * *

Two weeks later, they stood in front of the guild master while his wife prodded him in the ribs. “You agree to one vial of venom to be picked up every month for a year?”

She blinked. “Yes.”

She held up a vial that she had milked that morning.

He was startled. “Great. May I examine it?”

Yvena wasn’t sure how you would examine venom, but she watched with interest.

He opened the vial, extended his palm and a drop fell toward it, getting caught on a gold orb that sprang up in the centre of his hand. A brilliant black flash and he smiled. “Good. I have heard rumours of tainted king cobra venom. I needed to be sure.”

Liander shook his head. “Tainted, you say?”

“Yes. Several mages have been rushing to healers with nasty side effects. We investigated and found that they had all used king cobra venom but none of them were willing to tell us where they got their supply.”

“So, if it is all right, can we commence?” Yvena was eager to try sex without having to worry about scraping Liander with her fangs.

The guild master nodded. “Hold hands and face each other.”

He raised his arms, focussed and dropped a ball of power on their clasped hands.

Yvena felt hot, cold and hot again as energy ran up her arms and into her body. Liander swayed as well.

She fell into his arms and held tight while the world tilted around them. The transport guild master raised her hands and sent them back to the spa.

Liander and Yvena staggered together to the room they had been occupying and collapsed on the bed.

They rode through the storm of power and realignment for hours until the world righted itself around them.

Yvena sat up and felt something added to her. She thought of a mongoose, and to her shock, she snapped into that form.

Liander shifted into a king cobra, and Yvena swiftly resumed a matching shape. He reared up, flared his hood and fell to the floor.

Yvena hissed in amusement. Everyone thought that moving without feet was easy when in reality it was a complex blend of twists and shifting of scales.

She peeked over the edge of the bed at him, and he was back in human form. She resumed her normal shape. “Not as easy as it looks, is it?”

He gave her a rueful grin. “Not at all. I believe that I need some remedial classes.”

She moved off the bed and draped herself over him. “I know just the instructor. It is a good thing that we have all the time in the world, because this is not going to come quickly.”

He chuckled. “Excellent. Time with you is all I have ever wanted.”

She kissed him and flicked him with her tongue. To her surprise, he matched her with his own forked appendage. He was a quick study, and she looked forward to his mastery of her forms. All of them.

Another month, another Shifting Crossroads.

In our next instalment, we meet a panda with control issues and a bearcat with a fixation on all things
Black and White
. A pair of hunters is partnered under duress, and since both of their forms get attention, they have to do all their shifter tracking in their human forms. It is a helluva handicap.

Zenina Masters

www.zeninamasters.com

Oh. News alert! My alter ego’s website (
www.violagrace.com
) now has trading cards for your favourite Shifting Crossroad books. Check it out.

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.