OwlsFair (2 page)

“They will take you to either one of the bed and breakfasts, or if you prefer, the hostel.”

“What is the difference?”

Kris leaned back, “Price and visibility. Everyone knows you if you are at a B&B, but few take notice of another female at the hostel. The hostels are arranged so that males and females are separated, and then divided by the type of shifter you are. You would be in the avian hostel if you chose to go that way.”

“Why are the bed and breakfasts more visible?”

“It is a small town with only four dozen permanent residents. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, and folk staying in the B&B’s have money to spend and don’t care who knows it. Since you want to fly under the radar, you have a decision to make.”

Ezzy thought about it for a moment. She wasn’t poor, but she didn’t want to spend money she didn’t have to. “Hostel for me.”

Kris flicked her fingers and a translucent computer was generated. “Excellent. The avian hostel is almost empty, so you will have most of it to yourself. I also want to warn you that it is not peak time right now. There will be sparse selections to pick from, but those who are there will be rather determined to find females of their own. Are you ready for that kind of pressure?”

Ezzy closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she had settled her interior conflict. “If I am going to do this, I will do it now. Waiting will not help my case, and my father may bring even more appalling specimens for introduction.”

“A very valid point. Those guys were extra creepy.” Krisia shuddered, “Not that they bothered speaking to me. They just gave off a terrible aura, one especially.”

Ezzy was amazed. Not only was she learning about her chances to find a mate on her own terms, but she was finding out that her best friend for decades had skills that she had arrogantly dismissed. “I feel like an idiot.”

Kris laughed. “Don’t. As I realized that my skills were more versatile than yours, I began to watch your world with fascination. Oh. I can also do this.”

As Ezzy watched, her friend formed a number of balls and began to juggle power in front of her. She laughed so hard that she was bent double before Kris let the energy dissipate with a sharp pop.

“Okay, enough fun and games. When do you want to leave?” Kris shifted from bragging to business in a heartbeat.

“Um. I have this weekend off, so Friday afternoon?”

Kris grinned. “Calling off movie night to get your destined mate? Fine, but you owe me one.”

The magical travel agent kicked into high gear. “Do you understand the price that you will have to pay for sending you to the Crossroads?”

“Um, no. What is the price of the hostel?”

Kris grinned, “The price of the hostel is fixed and will be charged to your credit card, as will any meals you consume or clothing that you buy. No, I was referring to the price you have to pay me to transport you.”

Ezzy blinked in surprise. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

“Most don’t. It takes energy to use magic, just like it takes energy to shift shape. We need a little something to make the transition work.”

Knowing that her friend would not demand more than she could give, Ezzy asked, “What do you need?”

“Three feathers from you and your immediate family.” Kris smiled. “It is how I will open the portal to let you through. Your feather will open the door, and your family’s feathers will keep you from getting lost.”

Uneasy, she asked, “Do they have to know about the feathers?”

Kris waved her spectral computer away. “No, they do not need to know about the feathers. They are for tracking purposes only.”

“Fine. What time on Friday?” She was biting her lip. Nerves were taking hold, and her hands were shaking.

“After four. You get off work at two, and you need to have a few stiff drinks in you before I send you off.”

Ezzy snickered. “It seems strange. I have never gone for drinks with my travel agent before.”

“Yes, you have. You just didn’t know it at the time.”

They giggled together to burn off the nerves of the moment. In a few short days, Ezzy was going off to find the man for her, and Krisia was the woman who was going to send her there. There was no one she trusted more.

Chapter Three

With a weekend bag packed with everything Ezzy thought she needed, she sat in the chair across from Krisia once again and waited for her to check the feathers.

Kris smiled as she ran the white feather across her palm. “This is yours. You are a snowy owl. Very pretty. I don’t think I have ever seen you up close before. I swear, I will never figure out the way that magic shifts in bloodlines. With only few exceptions, the changes run along the same species but not the same genus. Well, that is the power of the planet for you. You can never tell who is going to get what by parentage.”

The smaller feather was Doria’s. She’d shed plenty while they were playing during the flight. The last was one of her father’s. He had been preening and yanked it out after the party. Making up the excuse to go visiting her parents’ home was awkward, but getting into the forest to collect the feathers had been a nightmare of subterfuge.

Well, her parents were suspicious, but she had the feathers she needed. “What do you use the feathers for?”

Kris winked, “Flight spells. Owl feathers are used for silent flight.”

“Seriously? You seriously use the feathers for spells?”

“Yup. Some folks can fly using chants or sheer power, but others need a boost from a potion, talisman or unguent.” Kris carefully arranged the feathers on a sheet of paper and walked them to the other side of the room. A slow caress of her fingers and a drawer slid out.

Ezzy watched her tuck the feathers away, looking eagerly until the drawer was closed and her feather was gone. “What now?”

“Well, I have you registered at the hostel and your meals are covered anywhere at the Crossroads. You need to wear this bracelet and all charges will be confirmed and recorded here. Do you have any questions before I send you off?”

Putting the bracelet on, she swallowed nervously. “Dozens, but I think I should just go before I change my mind. Should I call you when I arrive or something?”

Kris grinned, “You don’t have to. I will know if you make it, but be sure to call me if you don’t end up coming back here. I will need to know what to tell your family, or at least how to distract them.”

A dozen moments of Kris hiding her from her family ran through her mind. “You are good at it.”

“Everybody needs a hobby.”

Nervous, Ezzy got to her feet. “So, what do I do?”

“Grab your bag and stand here on this mark.”

Breathing quickly, Ezzy grabbed her small suitcase and stood on the mark. “What now?”

“I wish you luck, I wish you joy and I wish you love.” Krisia stood in front of her, and her eyes began to glow.

Ezzy’s vision blurred for a moment, followed by a sudden tug at her limbs that made her stumble. Hands caught her, and she was looking into the eyes of a woman with snow-white hair.

A man stood nearby, his hair as dark as the woman’s was light. Both had the scent of shifters. He smiled softly. “Welcome, Ezmerelda Atkinson, to the Crossroads.”

“That’s it? That’s all that it took to get me here? I didn’t really feel anything.”

The woman chuckled. “Transporter Vehn is excellent. Not all the Transporters take such an interest in their client arriving in one large piece. Do you have your medallion?”

Ezzy lifted her hand, showed the bracelet and nodded. “This?”

“Yes—it will shift with you if you choose to shift, but its true purpose is so that your incidentals can be charged directly to the funding set up for you.” The woman smiled. “I am glad to see your Transporter was on the ball.”

“She has a vested interest in my success.” Ezzy chuckled and lifted her bag. “Um, where do I go and what do I do?”

The woman smiled again. “I am Teal, Guardian of the Crossroads. That is my mate, Tony. He’s the other Guardian. He wrangles the males, I work with the females.”

Ezzy followed her as Teal began to move out of the building made of smooth, pale wood.

“You arrived in the Meditation Centre, and as you can tell, we are central to the Crossroads.”

There was nothing closer to the truth. The north-south, east-west roads met at the base of the steps leading down from the centre.

“That building is the café, the one across from us is the general store, the Crossed Stars Bar is half a mile down the north road and across from it are the bed and breakfasts. You are in the hostel, so we will take you to the avian reserve.” Teal’s voice was brisk but cheerful.

Ezzy tried to take it all in. “How many people are here right now?”

“Forty permanent residents and twenty-four guests. Six of the guests are in the B&Bs, and the rest are in the hostels. Boys on the right, girls on the left.”

“What keeps one side from straying to the other?” Nerves were setting in, and Ezzy clutched her bag tightly.

“Magic. The original architects of this place were quite generous with their power. The hostels are completely safe and just crossing the street will make you safe from anyone following you if you are feeling insecure. Of course, we do also have law enforcement for the Crossroads. Anyone found harassing one of the guests would be summarily banned from this place.” Teal was amused.

“How often does that happen?”

“Not very often. The folk who come here genuinely want to start a new life with a new partner. That means they are on good behaviour.”

“Where are the law enforcement officers to be found?”

“They are in the Crossed Star—they are the bouncers.” Teal waved her arm toward the bar.

“I am guessing that the bar is the hub of activity?”

“Pretty much. That, and the Crossed Heart Café.”

Ezzy let out a nervous giggle. “So, everything is crossed here?”

“That is the idea. We try and bring folk together who never would cross paths in their normal lives. The Transporters weed out those who are just tired of dating and select only the folks who need this place.”

“Is there enough call for that kind of thing?”

“Apparently. There has been a Crossroads operating on every occupied continent for the last thousand years.” Teal was amused.

As their path took them past the commercial district a line of buildings on either side of the street indicated they were near the hostels.

“Each classification of shifters is in a separate building from the other females.”

Ezzy smirked. “So, there is little chance of being eaten by another woman looking for a male?”

“Very little. We have strict no-combat rules between the guests of the Crossroads. This is a safe place to seek and find a mate—however, we are also not idiots, and we have attempted to mitigate all chances of a hostile interaction.” Teal smirked. “There are still a few fur and feather battles now and then, but we do try to remove the temptation.”

Now was the time for the question that was hopping up and down in her mind. “Can I shift and go flying?”

“Yes, this entire area is secure, but you do not have to mention your shifted body to your prospective mate. Nor does he have to tell you what his is until you are ready to commit. Relax, enjoy and remember, whatever happens in the Crossroads, stays in the Crossroads until you leave and take your mate with you.” Teal patted her on the shoulder.

A quick introduction to the housemother for the hostel of the avian and Ezmerelda was on her own.
Oh, goody.

Chapter Four

The Crossed Heart Café was a glowing beacon to Ezzy’s ravenous appetite. With some grim determination, Ezzy entered the cheerfully lit building and looked around.

A few heads turned as males noticed her entrance. A few females were dotted about, but Ezzy was looking to be alone.

She slid into the first unoccupied booth and sighed in relief when a male reading a newspaper occupied her field of view. All that was visible of him was his very large hands, and it made for quite a break from the hungry eyes of the other males in the café.

A cheerful waitress came by. “Good evening, sweetie. Would you like a menu?”

Ezzy exhaled with a smile to match the young woman’s. “Please.”

“Coffee?”

“Oh, yes, that would be wonderful.”

When the folded menu was presented, Ezzy stared at the selections until she was sure she had memorized the whole thing.

The man reading the newspaper had lowered it and was now looking at her with an intensity that sent her insides quivering.

When the waitress returned, Ezzy blurted out the first thing that caught her eye. “Cheeseburger and fries.”

The waitress looked at her with a raised brow. “No salad?”

Ezzy shook her head. If she was going to have to brave a bar full of eligible males, she was going to need to do it on a full stomach.

The menu had been her only cover. Now that it was gone, she looked up, and her gaze collided with the warm brown eyes of the newspaper man.

His entire body had the look of a man who worked outdoors, and he worked there a lot. Huge shoulders, a serious jaw, determined nose and lush lips gave him a solid base, but it was his warm brown eyes under dark brown brows that held her attention.

She knew her eyes were a bright gold that sometimes set folks off, but shifters took it as normal to see eyes that colour. Warm brown was a colour she’d always wished she had, and if she had any kids, it would be a far easier colour for them to live with.

The object of her attention smiled, and a furious blush broke on her cheeks. She quickly looked away, but the damage was done.

He calmly folded his paper, lifted his coffee and got to his feet. When he stood next to her, she could tell that his height was well over six feet. He had a lovely woodsy scent that clung to him, and even two feet away, it made her want to get closer.

“May I join you? I am waiting for my own order as well.”

His voice was a low rumble, and she tilted her head to hear it better.

She debated the pros and cons for a moment and then nodded, “Please.”

His smile was amused, “Better to just jump in and get it over with, right?”