OwlsFair (3 page)

Ezzy blinked in surprise at his amusement. “Something like that. Have you been here long?”

He settled in across from her and accepted the cup of coffee the waitress delivered.

“Thank you, Tee.”

“You’re welcome, Buzz.” The waitress smiled and walked away.

He turned back to Ezzy and said, “I have been here about three weeks.”

Ezzy bit her lip to stop her smile, “Your name is Buzz?”

“It’s a nickname, but it does the job. What is yours?”

“Ezzy. It also does the job.” She snickered.

“And we have one point of commonality, excellent.” His laugh was genuine.

He relaxed, and she took in his graceful sprawl while sipping at her coffee. His t-shirt was stretched over masses of muscle, and his curling black hair brushed the collar in back. The open expression on his face helped her unclench a little.

“How many women have you sought commonality with?” The words blurted out before she could stop them. A blush ran up her hairline as he raised a brow in surprise.

“How long have you been here?”

“I got here about an hour ago. I am sorry if it was a rude question.” She was rescued by the arrival of her cheeseburger, and she immediately dove in.

“Well, I am happy to be your first contact, but if we are not meant to be, you will go on beyond me, and I will continue past you. It is simply how things work in the Crossroads. We are here to find a mate, and to do that, we have to give up the idea of falling in love with the first person we see.” His expression suddenly went grim.

Ezzy used a napkin to tidy her mouth before she spoke. “Personal experience?”

Buzz nodded. “So, what drove you here?”

“My best friend. She knew that I was desperately unimpressed with my father’s choices for me, so she sent me here.”

“She sent you? That is highly unusual. Did she find her own mate at the Crossroads?” His curiosity was genuine.

“Um…no. My best friend is a Transporter.” Ezzy worked her way through the surprisingly good burger, stopping for the occasional fry dipped in ketchup.

“You’re kidding.”

“I am not. She and I had an agreement never to discuss our other lives, so when she saw how desperate I was, she gave me a card and had me meet my Transporter at her office. I had no idea it was her until I went through the door.”

“I’m still getting around the idea of a shifter having a magic user as a best friend. How long have you known her?”

Ezzy chuckled and settled into an easy topic of conversation. Krisia had shared in hundreds of misadventures with her, and Buzz seemed interested in how it all began.

“We met at school in grade one and have been best friends ever since.”

“How is it that you didn’t know that she was a Transporter?”

Ezzy laughed and finished her burger. “Just after my first shift, she started her Guild indoctrination. I wasn’t allowed to talk about my shifting, and she wasn’t allowed to discuss magic, so we decided that we simply wouldn’t talk about it, and we never did.”

Buzz tilted his head. “It sounds difficult.”

“It was horrible. When I mastered my shape, I wanted to tell her, and I couldn’t. I would see her start a conversation about why her eyebrows were scorched, and she couldn’t. It was a test to our friendship that I’m very glad we passed.”

She watched him rub his jawline and noted the five o’clock shadow that was appearing on his chin. “What about you—what drove you to the Crossroads?”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before drinking his coffee. “The area I live in is rather sparsely populated. There were few eligible women and even fewer that held any appeal for me. It was time for me to seek out a mate, and so, here I am.”

She snickered at what he left unsaid. “Your parents as well?”

He grinned. “Yes. You are very perceptive.”

She shrugged, “That one is obvious when you have experience with it.”

She nibbled at her fries as they sat in companionable silence. Outside, night was fully in control, and her inner wings ached to fly through the darkness.

“Your form is nocturnal?” His words were polite, but she could tell he wanted to know what she became when she embraced her inner magic.

“It is. Yours?”

“Not particularly.” He shrugged.

She sighed and wondered if he was something small and annoying. It seemed unlikely. His sprawl was far too natural, and he took up every inch of space he occupied. Folk who changed into smaller animals tended to give it away in their body language.

The waitress, Tee, returned with a smile and took the plate away. “Can I interest you in dessert?”

Ezzy shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I think I need a bit of a walk around the area to work off dinner.”

Tee winked and left her with Buzz.

The man smiled and leaned forward, “May I offer you a nocturnal tour of the Crossroads? It is quite spectacular at night.”

This was the moment of no going back. If she said yes, she was going to immerse herself in the Crossroads until she came out with a mate. If she said no, she still had a chance to run back to her normal life and pretend that this hadn’t happened.

“I would like that.”

He got to his feet and held out his hand, and before she could change her mind, she put her fingers in his grip. As his embrace tugged her from her seat, she admired the rough warmth of his fingers. A woman would know that his hands were on her, and Ezzy was wondering if the rest of her skin would be as appreciative as her fingers were.

It was something worth checking out.

Chapter Five

Buzz tried to keep his calm as his body reacted violently to the feel of Ezzy’s hand against his. The moment he’d seen her walk into the café, his cock had kicked the inside of his jeans.

Three weeks of simpering women rubbing against him without invitation left him a little disgusted at the process of the Crossroads. He had sought out the café as a refuge, and to his delight, a woman who sang to his senses had cautiously stepped into his range.

Ezzy was cautious, and her face lit up when talking about her friend. That kind of loyalty was admirable, and her body wasn’t bad either. Dark brown hair cascaded down to her shoulders, a cute little bow of a mouth kept his attention when she spoke, and the few times she had made eye contact, the avian gold of her gaze had left him with no doubt that his companion had feathers when she chose to wear them.

When she stood up, her nose was even with his shoulder, the perfect height for him. The temptation to wrap his arm around her waist was intense, but he didn’t want to scare her off. She seemed rather timid about her arrival at the Crossroads, and he didn’t want her to regret allowing him to be her first escort around the grounds.

“Do you have night sight?” He asked her casually, as if his cock was not gaining the imprint of his zipper as he spoke.

“I do, but there is plenty of light. Are the buildings glowing?”

“They are. It makes it easier for those shifters who do not have nocturnal navigation. It also makes the females feel safer. Less dark shadows or something.”

Ezzy looked up at him and smiled. Her nose crinkled as her lips curved upward, and it took all of Buzz’s self-control not to give into the bear inside him and maul her until she cried out for more.

“That does sound safer. What is that building over there?” Ezzy pointed with her free hand, the side of one breast pressed against his arm, and Buzz closed his eyes for a moment.

“The Crossroads General Store. The family who runs it are beaver shifters, and they also take care of maintenance on the majority of the buildings.” He could feel his teeth sharpening with his growing arousal.

This tour was going to kill him.

* * * *

“What kind of shifter runs the bar?” Ezzy’s attention moved beyond the general store and to the bright light and noise of the bar. The sounds were not as harsh as she had anticipated, and there was something inviting about the light that spilled out.

“A tiger owns it, snakes are bar tenders and a group of male lions act as bouncers.” His voice was low, and his words carefully pronounced.Ezzy winced as she realized that his arousal was beginning a partial shift. His scent had gotten more intense the moment they walked out of the café. He definitely was keying to her body. That much she could figure out. Her own pulse was rapid and had remained so with their hands in platonic contact.

Before she could change her mind, she pulled him to a halt. “Buzz. Wait a moment.”

He turned to her, a confused frown on his face.

She bit her lip, released it and went up on her toes to plant a kiss on him.

It started as a mashing of her lips to his, but his arms quickly steadied her, and she softened her assault. Her lips parted, and his matched hers motion for motion. She lapped at the interior of his mouth. A low throb began deep in her belly. He tasted as wild as his scent, and that was not a bad thing.

With a low, shaky groan, she broke the kiss and slowly let herself return to standing flat-footed. “Okay. That’s good to know.”

He appeared to be dazed, and with a smile, she knew that the blood was not currently in his brain. “What?”

“Whether I would like kissing you or not. I would. So, it was something I had to figure out before I wasted either of our time.”

Buzz’s blink was slow as he regained his wits. “Oh. Shall I continue the tour?”

“Please.”

With their hands still together, she leaned against his body while they walked. The Meditation Centre at night was quite lovely. The hostels were easily visible even to those who couldn’t manage well at night. The row that made her most curious was a series of neat, tall Victorians on immaculately manicured lawns. Buzz was walking her down the lane, and she had to ask, “What are these places?”

“Bed and Breakfasts. When a male comes here who is old enough to be territorial, he takes a room at the B&B. It gives us a temporary territory and a feeling of security.”

His expression was wry. Apparently he was slowly getting over his shock over her kiss and that was a relief. He hadn’t shoved her away, so the ridge she had felt below the waist was definitely not something in his pocket.

Ezzy moved a little closer to him as they passed a few folks on the wide walkway. “I thought there were only a few dozen seekers here at this time.”

Buzz’s low voice made her lean closer. “There are. What most don’t realize is that this entire area has a basic need for support staff. They live here all year round, and while some come and go, they do keep a standard population on hand. They live in these other houses. It keeps them away from the guests for the most part, though pairings do happen.”

“Are you staying in one of these buildings?”

“Yes, at the Open Heart B&B. Dira is the owner and operator, and I have to tell you, she must have some precognition. When I was going to give up on this place and return home, she convinced me that my mate might simply show up in a day or two, but I was looking for her in the wrong place. I needed to ditch the bar and hang out at the café, and she would be here before I knew it.”

Ezzy swallowed. “When was that?”

“Yesterday. I had my bags packed and everything. It costs quite a bit to be returned home, but it was very tempting.” He stopped and turned her toward him.

She looked up into his dark eyes and what should have been frightening features in the strange glow of the buildings, but her inner wings opened wide. There was nothing to fear here.

“I am glad I stayed.” He leaned forward, and this time, his kiss was exploring her lips, the honey of his mouth warmed her and made her crave more.

When he leaned back, she blinked up at him. His arms were around her, and his hands on her hips held their lower bodies together.

“I don’t do casual sex.” Her words were blurted out before she could stop them.

He smiled, and it was a slow and deep smile. “Nothing between us will be casual, Ezzy. I promise you that I take this most seriously. What would you like to see next?”

Ezzy listened to her heart and said the words that surged up into her throat. “Your room.”

Once uttered, there was nothing left to be said. Buzz lifted her hand to his lips, placed it in the curve of his arm and walked slowly toward the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast.

Chapter Six

Ezzy’s heart was pounding in her chest as she walked up the stairs to the second floor with Buzz at her side. She was really going to do it. She was going to have sex with a man she had only just met. Krisia would be so proud.

“That is a fascinating smile. May I ask what prompted it?”

She giggled, “I was just thinking my friend would be so proud that I followed my instincts.”

“I must admit I’m quite happy you have.” His mouth curved in a smile. He paused in front of a door with a discreet number on it. A flash at his wrist and the lock clicked over.

“It is set to your talisman?”

“Yes, as your locker at the hostel is set to yours. Dira set the charm when I checked in.” He opened the door, and Ezzy preceded him into the room.

For a bed and breakfast, the room was huge. A desk sat along one wall and a wide window let in the night air and ruffled the smooth bedding on the king-sized bed. A door to what had to be the bathroom was discreetly closed.

When the door locked with a click behind her, her gaze flew to the window. She could ditch her clothing and jump into the night air, fly back to the hostel and be safe in her solitude. Ezzy breathed in and exhaled slowly. If she could just get past her nerves, she could find out if Buzz was indeed the man for her.

“We can take this slow if you want…”

She didn’t give him a chance to give her options. With a determined move, she whipped off her shirt, leaving her in her bra and jeans. She turned and pressed herself against him, reaching for his neck and pulling his head down to hers. “Before I lose my nerve,” was the whisper she murmured against his lips.

He didn’t smile but whipped his own shirt off, exposing the lightly haired expanse of chest and an impressive array of muscle. “You know when this is over, we will have to talk a little more thoroughly.”

She chuckled weakly as he took her in his arms and flesh pressed to flesh. “Later.”