OwlsFair (6 page)

When she had apologized to each one in turn, she got to her feet and winked at him. “Shower?”

He growled, lifted her against him and carried her into the bathroom. He set her in the shower and blocked the water until steam curled around them. “If I kiss each inch that was abraded, I am not sure that we would leave the Crossroads.”

Ezzy smiled up at him, memorizing the expression of lust and happiness on his face. They would fight in time—all couples did—but this was a moment she wanted to remember.

Once the sticky remains of sex were obliterated, he tenderly washed her hair, and she scrubbed his back in turn. When they were clean and vibrating with sensual tension, they towelled off and returned to the bedroom.

Ezzy picked up the clothing she’d first arrived in as well as the clean underwear from a few hours earlier. In three minutes, she was ready for breakfast, and two minutes later, Buzz was packed and ready to leave.

Chapter Ten

“Oh my god, what is in these biscuits?” Ezzy groaned happily.

Dira was sitting at their table at their invitation. She grinned proudly. “It is an old family recipe. The secret ingredient is butter.”

Buzz didn’t bother asking about ingredients, he just snarfed down one after another covered in honey. How he could eat that much honey and still appear fit was beyond her, but his nickname was now becoming clear.

Bears liked honey, bees made honey, so buzzing was a side effect.

“Thank you for breakfast, Dira. I know it says it on the sign, but most B&B’s I have been to have nasty muffins and scones.” Ezzy looked admiringly at the expanse of bacon, eggs, toast, muffins, beans, sausage, fruit salad and the tower of pancakes.

“Most shifters are big eaters. I take that into account.” Dira chuckled and stabbed four of the pancakes for her own plate.

Buzz had ploughed through a third of the offerings, and he was going back in for more.

Ezzy usually dismissed the term
eat like a bird,
but she felt the comparison was apt, considering the company.

Dira was making serious inroads on her side of the table, Buzz was ravaging the contents of the platters on his side of the table and Ezzy sat at the head of the table and ate the equivalent of two eggs, toast and bacon.

“Do you have a lot of guests?” Ezzy smiled as Dira quickly swallowed to reply.

“About two hundred per year. Folk come and folk go, but I remain here. There is no place for me in the outside world.” The woman’s brilliant green eyes were rather sad.

Ezzy nodded. With that much power, there would be a spectacle if Dira ever publicly shifted. She didn’t have the countenance of a small animal—she would be big, and the power would flow.

“You are checking out today, Buzz?” Dira smiled.

“I am. Our next stop is the Meditation Centre, and from there, we will find out if Tony and Teal take requests.” Buzz’s words were completely comprehensible, which was amazing considering his mouthful of food.

Dira raised a dark brow, “You have an alternate destination?”

Ezzy finished her plate. “I need to talk with my friend, and she is no longer at home.”

“Where is she?”

“At the home of the Transporter Guild Master.” Ezzy sipped at her coffee. “Do you know it?”

Dira blinked. “The Transporter Guild Master, or
The
Guild Master? They are different people.”

Ezzy frowned. “I don’t know. Teal would. She is the one who told me about it.”

“Fair enough. They will get you where you need to go.” Dira finished her meal and picked up her own coffee. “Nothing like good food and good company. It was an honour hosting you, Buzz, you as well, Ezmerelda.”

“I was only here overnight, and only part of that.” Ezzy’s blush was intense.

“Love warms the heart of the building whenever it rests here. It doesn’t matter how long it was here, a true match leaves a positive mark on its surroundings.” Dira had a wistful smile on her pristine features.

“Have you ever found your mate?” It was a personal question, but Buzz appeared curious.

Dira blinked in surprise. “Matches for my kind do not come along easily. I will wait here until he arrives. In the mean time, I can help others’ relationships along their way by providing comfortable and private accommodations.”

Ezzy had to know, “How long have you been here?”

“Two hundred years, three, I hardly remember. I will be here as long as I need to be or until I feel the need to go elsewhere.”

The calm resignation that Dira would wait as long she needed to until her mate arrived was impressive. Ezzy’s heart ached for the loneliness in the other woman’s expression.

Ezzy reached out and took Dira’s hand. A spark of power jumped from Dira’s hand to hers. “I do apologize. That happens if I get too emotional. The power surge will wear off soon.”

Ezzy rubbed her fingers together. “What do you mean, power surge?”

“Your shift will be faster, your body stronger for a few years.”

Buzz blinked. “Years?”

“Well, it isn’t much time for one like me. Since I have been out of the world for so long, time has reduced in meaning for me.” Dira smiled and got to her feet. “I will wish you both good journey and a happy and long life. Thank you for coming to the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast.”

Dira disappeared and the dishes went with her.

Ezzy blinked and got to her feet. “I know a dismissal when I get one. Do we have time to go to the avian hostel to get my things?”

“Of course. Shall we?” He offered her his arm and retrieved his bag from the stand by the door. Together, they exited the building and slowly made their way to the hostels.

It took her under two minutes to get her bag and return to Buzz. When she was at his side once again, they walked straight to the Meditation Centre. After hearing that Ezzy wanted to see Krisia, Teal took Tony’s hand, and together, they moved Buzz and Ezzy directly to the home of the Guild Master.

Ezzy swayed against Buzz, and he kept his arm around her waist. He raised his hand and knocked on the huge double doors in front of them.

A short, wizened man opened the door and looked at them with a jaded expression. “Hello?”

“I am here to see Krisia.”

“Madame Krisia is not available to see clients. You will have to come back another time.” The man started to close the door, but Buzz stopped it with a clawed paw.

Ezzy cleared her throat. “Tell Kris that Ezzy is here to see her, and see what she says. I will wait in the entryway.”

They pushed in and settled themselves in the foyer. The butler frowned in displeasure, but he scuttled away.

A flash of light made Ezzy blink, and to her astonishment, an angry angel was staring down at her. “Krisia is not well enough for guests.”

Ezzy put her astonishment aside and scowled back at him. “Listen, sport, I am Ezmerelda Atkinson. I have known Kris since we were six, and I am not going to let you stop me from talking to her.”

“You are Ezzy?” The man frowned.

Buzz cleared his throat. “Cut the crap, Tobias, and let her in. She is mad enough to punch past you if you keep up with the bouncer crap.”

“Buzz, I thought that was you. Why are you with my mate’s best friend?”

Ezzy cleared her throat. “Good, you know each other. Where is Kris?”

Tobias extended his right arm. “Down the hall, fourth room on the left. Your touch will unlock the door. Just a warning, she is still weak from the attack last night, so don’t let her exert herself.”

Ezzy turned to Buzz, but he gave her a quick kiss before she could speak. “Go to her. I will be here when you are ready.”

She smiled brightly at him and ran to find her friend, secure that he would still be there when she returned.

Chapter Eleven

Knowing that Kris was bound to be in a bad mood, she knocked first. “Kris? It’s me, Ezzy. I am coming in.”

She was barely in the door of the ultra-feminine room when Kris’s arms wrapped around her and held her tight. “Oh thank the rotating spectrum that you are all right.”

“Glad to see you too. You look really pale. Maybe you should sit.” Ezzy was concerned. Krisia was usually pale, but not like this.

“Did Tobias tell you to keep me on my butt?” Kris scowled.

“No, your grey pallor told me that. Sit your ass down.” Ezzy took her by the hand and shoved her into a comfortable chair covered with rose-embroidered flowers.

She hauled over a matching chair and poured Kris a cup of tea. “Now, what are you doing here?”

Kris smiled weakly. “Well, you see…Tobias is my mate.”

Ezzy sat back and whistled. “I know how my people do it, so I know it can be sudden, but how long have you known that Tobias was your mate?”

“Ten years or so.”

Astonishment must have shown on her face, because Kris laughed. “The secrecy pact was quite the downer. I knew that Tobias Orcross was my mate the day he took his position as Guild Master.”

“Whoa. Why the wait to join him?” Ezzy had to know. “If I had met my mate years ago, you can bet I would be with him, and you and I would be burning up the phone lines.”

Kris sighed. “Well, there was the little matter of Tobias being sealed to the community in a public ceremony.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“The ceremony involved public sex with a member of the community or with Tobias’s mate.”

“Oh. Not cool.”

“No, so since I have a few really whacky food allergies, I went out and picked some specific items from the buffet to give myself hives, and to ensure it, I went out and rolled in the local poison ivy patch.”

“Oh my. I remember that. I brought you calamine and oatmeal for two weeks. I just thought you had a family camping disaster.”

Kris sighed, “Well, speaking of family. Guess who was my stand-in during the public screwing?”

Ezzy knew the expression on Kris’s face. “Your cousin?”

“My cousin volunteered the moment that it was apparent my body was no longer a suitable vessel for the goddess.”

Ezzy took her friend’s hand. “You regret your hesitation.”

“Yes and no. I have a little of my grandmother’s foresight, and it was not time for me to settle down with Tobias, but at the same time…why did it have to be her?”

“If there is anything I have learned since you sent me to the Crossroads, it is that destiny will move in its own time. Fighting fate can get you smacked, but doing the right thing feels like there was no other option in the universe.”

Kris smiled, “What is he like?”

“He’s a bear.”

“Grumpy?”

“No, an actual bear. He is a bear like I am an owl.”

“Ouch, how does sex work?”

“The same as it does for you, hot and messy. It is better without the fangs, claws and fur though.” She pulled down the neckline of her shirt to show her friend the red markings on her chest.

“Wow, so you are always feathers when you shift, he is always fur. Would you like to chance a meeting in the middle?” Kris had a calculating look.

“Oh, no, we are talking about you and Tobias. Were you ever going to tell me?”

“How could I, with our pact in place? It was killing me to know that when I told you, I would have to leave, move in with Tobias, but because of our pact, I couldn’t tell you.”

“You can tell me now, so tell me now. You love him, don’t you?”

Kris sighed. “I do. I have since I was a teen. I found out he was my mate one day before he was announced as Guild Master. I never had a chance to get used to the idea.”

“He looks like a pissed-off angel.”

Kris grinned. “That is his normal face when he is talking about me. Generally, he is amazing to look at. I want to take up painting every time I seem him with a calm expression.”

“When are you going to formalize your union?”

“This evening. When are you going to publicise yours?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone yet. Usually, it is within the first week of mating so that the families can register any complaints right away, but I don’t know how it works with Crossroads couples.”

“I can help with that. We can have a double ceremony. We need one witness from your clan, one from his.”

The door opened, and Tobias entered with Buzz.

Ezzy got to her feet and put an arm around Buzz’s waist. “Krisia, my best friend, my entire life, this is Buzz, also known as Edgar Northrup. He lives in Alaska, so I hope that you can transport yourself as easily as you did me.”

“Oh, I can.”

Tobias frowned. “You will gain my permission first.”

Ezzy put her hand between them. “She will tell you when she is going to visit me. And you will tell her when you expect her back. Kris has suggested a joint ceremony. Do you have any objections, Buzz?”

Buzz put his lips to her neck, “As long as I am being bonded to you, I don’t care.”

Kris nodded. “Fine. Tobias, I will bond to you—bring me one of my relatives, one of Ezzy’s and one of Buzz’s.”

The man who radiated power froze. “That is it? That is all you want before you will solemnize our joining?”

“Well, and whatever you want, but basically, yup. Move.” She waved him away, and Ezzy was amazed at her friend’s casual dismissal of the man of power.

Tobias looked at Ezzy with a smile that turned his face into one of unearthly beauty. “Thank you for coming. Next time, when she says she wants to speak to you, I will bring you to her.”

He disappeared in a rush of light, and Ezzy blinked to clear her vision. She looked up at Buzz, “You really don’t mind formalizing it here?”

“Well, we will still have to register formally in the human world, but that is only paperwork. This is a melding of souls so that I may hear you and you me when we wear the other shapes.”

Kris cleared her throat. “Ezzy?”

“Yes, Kris?”

“Can I see your other shape? I have never seen it close up.”

“I will have to remove my clothing. Is that okay?”

Kris blinked in surprise. “Of course.”

Ezzy grinned at Buzz and kicked her shoes off. “Shifters think of casual nudity as a step to the next phase, like putting on or taking off a winter coat.”

She shimmied out of her jeans and her top, quickly stripped off her bra and panties. Buzz held all of her clothing as she disrobed, and his heated gaze made the shift to owl form far more rapid than it should be.