PoisonedPen
Authors: Zenina Masters
Tags: #Adult, Erotic Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifter
A swan shifter suffering from ambush matchmaking attempt meets a quiet snake with an eye toward her articulations.
Ivy has dodged matchmaking for five years, but when her family bundles her off to the Crossroads, she hastily concocts a plan to stay away from males for the entire month. She is partially successful, but when the bartender creates something just for her and takes an interest in her work, she is falling fast.
Chuck has worked at the Crossroads for most of his adult life, so it is quite a surprise to meet a woman who isn’t stalking a mate. When he sees a fascination for the written word in her, there is nothing for it. He has to get closer to see what she will do when he opens the pages of his hear to her.
When the swan meets the serpent, it is a surprisingly fair fight.
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Poisoned Pen
Copyright © 2013 Zenina Masters
ISBN: 978-1-77111-592-6
Cover art by Martine Jardin
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.
Poisoned Pen
Shifting Crossroads Book 5
By
Zenina Masters
Ivy Amelia Hector froze when she entered her parents’ home. “Is this an intervention?”
Her mother scowled. “Come in and sit down, Ivy Amelia. We have something to discuss.”
The use of both names was a warning sign that her mother was on the fine edge of her temper. Ivy stepped inside, removed her shoes and took the only available chair in a room full of her relatives. “So, what is up?”
Daisy Hector straightened. “We have spoken together and it has come to our attention that you have dodged every attempt to fix you up.”
“I have been busy.”
“For the last five years?” Her father frowned. David Hector didn’t speak often, but when he did, she listened.
“Well, I didn’t mean to dodge, precisely.”
Her mother lifted a clipboard.
Oh this isn’t good.
“You have given alibis for every attempt to set you up with a nice male of our species and found any number of creative ones that no one could corroborate.” Her mother scowled at the clipboard. “You have had twenty-four menstrual cycles in the last twelve months, three ingrown toenails, four friends who needed emergency comforting after being dumped, nineteen lost cell phones in the last three years, and then, we get into the not so plausible excuses.”
Her mother set down the clipboard. “This has got to end. You have to at least try to meet someone.”
Ivy sighed. It was an exhalation of resignation. “Fine. If you or Aunt Petunia have someone to set me up with, I will go.”
Daisy shook her dark head. “No, it has gone far beyond that. You are going to the Crossroads, Ivy Amelia. You will stay there until you find a mate, so take your time and make the right choice.”
Shock ran through her. “You are kidding. I can’t just take off to the Crossroads. I have a job to do.”
Her father smiled, “I have spoken with your boss, and Quenella is willing to let you take one month off. Apparently, you are ahead in your reviews.”
Fear gripped her. “What if I don’t find the one for me in a month?”
Her parents, aunts and uncles looked at each other in silent communication. Her mother finally sighed. “You come home, and we will never speak of it again. You will be able to live your solitary life, and we will go on with ours. You will be welcome in the flock.”
Ivy sighed. “Then, I will go. Where is the transporter?”
David got to his feet. “She is in the kitchen. We have prepped a bag for you, and your mother will take care of your plants.”
Ivy got to her feet and looked at the woman who was leaning casually against the counter, sipping a cup of coffee. “Hello.”
“Hello, Ivy. I know that this is a bit of an ambush, and the woman waiting for you on the other side will give you a full rundown of what you need to know. For now, here is your medallion. It will let you buy what you like in the Crossroads. Your family has provided feathers for your passage, but I need one from you. Just in case of emergency, I want to be able to find you.”
“Um, fine. What is your name?”
“Oh, where are my manners?” She extended her hand. “Krisia. Master Transporter.”
Ivy shook her hand with her right while the left snuck behind her head to pull out a feather. She showed it to Krisia and smiled, “Will this do, Krisia?”
“Lovely. I haven’t worked with swans before. Your family must be desperate.” Krisia opened a vial and stuffed the white fluffy feather into it.
“Swans pair off early and stay that way, though the combinations occasionally change.” Ivy bit her lip. “What happens now?”
Krisia reached out and tied a small medallion to her wrist, a feather was embossed on it. “This is linked to a charge account your family set up. Bill what you like to it, and it will be reflected in the normal world.”
“What about a place to stay?” She lifted her wrist close to her face and stared at the small object that was worth so much. “Will this shift with me?”
“Yes, it will shift with you, and your accommodations will be handled on the other side of the portal. Hug your family, get your bag and I will get you on to the next phase of this process.”
Ivy followed the directions, hugging her aunts and uncles before squeezing her parents tight. “I will see you in a month.”
David smiled, “Or sooner.”
“In a month, Dad. If it is sooner, you will have to accept that it is my mate for the rest of my life and I don’t know if any of us are ready to accept that.”
He hugged her again and whispered, “I slipped in your spare reader and a charger. They are in the side pocket.”
“Thanks, Dad. See you soon.” She kissed his cheek, hugged her mom one more time and picked up the bag before entering the kitchen.
Krisia put her cup down and levered away from the counter. “Okay, here we go.”
Ivy watched, expecting chanting and waving arms. Krisia merely opened her arms and a portal appeared in front of the dishwasher.
“Hop on in. The energy is nice this time of year.” Krisia smiled and gestured for her to enter the tall, oblong gateway in the middle of the tile floor.
Ivy took a few cautious steps, held her breath and plunged through the gateway.
Sunset. The light of sunset was all around her. A woman stepped forward, and Ivy recognized the set of her head and the glide of her body. It was another swan.
“Hello, Ivy. My name is Teal. Welcome to the Shifters’ Crossroads.”
“Thank you. This is a bit of a surprise. Krisia said you would help me organize myself?”
“Of course. Where did you want to stay, a bed and breakfast or the avian hostel?”
“Hostel, please. My family is paying for this, so I don’t want to tax them too greatly.”
A male who was also a bird shifter stepped forward. “If you will come this way, I will scan your tag so you can come and go immediately.”
He showed her where to swipe the charm, and it glowed briefly. “There, now you have a room in the female avian hostel.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Tony. Teal’s mate.”
His movements were almost predatory, but it was the look in his eyes as her charm caught the light that made it all make sense. Raven.
She was proud of her ability to make out the distinctions, but she had to admit that as a pair, they were the most powerful shifters she had yet encountered.
Teal made a small sound. “This way, Ivy.”
They walked out of a building made of honey-coloured oak and intricate carving. Ivy’s gaze caught every detail. She was good at details. It was why she was so adept at reviewing and editing books. The word on the page, the immovable pieces that everyone overlooked, those were what sprang alive to her.
The roads were paved lightly with gravel and bordered with green, lush grass. This entire place was wildlife friendly, which was good considering the men and women who were running around.
Teal smiled, “So, another swan is in the Crossroads. Why are you here?”
“Family.”
“Ah. They couldn’t find a match for you?”
Ivy blushed. “Well…I sort of have been dodging their efforts.”
“Ouch. How long?”
“In total, five years.”
Teal stopped in her tracks. “You are a swan and you have avoided being set up for five whole years? By the first feathers, that takes nerve.”
“I don’t know if that is an insult or praise.” Ivy smiled and hoisted her bag on her shoulder.
“Both. I ran from my match, and after I was successful, I ended up running from Tony. He caught me.” Teal grinned and pointed at the café and the restaurant. “You can get food there, day or night.”
“How hard did you run from him?”
Teal shrugged. “Pretty hard. It led us here.”
“Is there a place to swim?”
“I can show you tomorrow. There is a pond or a lake depending on your preferences. Come on, let’s get your bags stowed so that I can give you the proper tour and introduce you to a few people.”
They walked together in silence, and once Ivy checked into the hostel with her own room and locker, they exited in search of the Crossed Star bar.
“So, this is where I can meet just about anyone?”
“Most if not all of the men come through here. They need a place that takes some of the social niceties and chucks them out the window. Speaking of…Chuck! This is the newest guest of the Crossroads.”
A huge hulk of a man came toward them. His body was covered with tattoos, and his eyes wore the unmistakable mark of a reptile. He grinned, showing a bit of fang. “Welcome to the Crossed Star. What can I get for you?”
“Hi. Um, some juice?” she bit her lip.
He grinned. “Not much of a drinker, huh?”
She shook her head and watched as his smile changed him from frightening to charming.
He mixed her a cocktail of juice with as much care as he would for alcohol. With a flourish, he presented her with a tall hurricane glass, complete with a wedge of orange and an umbrella.
“Consider this a Crossroads-colada. Order it any time.” He winked.
She wrapped both hands around the glass to cover the flutter in her heart. She found the details of the rind of the fruit fascinating and found herself noting the bubbles foam and break in the glass.
Ivy sipped at the juice and hugged Teal farewell. “I will see you in the morning about that pond.”
Teal grinned. “It will be nice to swim with someone for a change. See you in the morning.”
Ivy waited until Teal was gone before she leaned forward to get Chuck’s attention. When he ambled over, she said, “I need to know where I can hide in here.”
He blinked in surprise. “Hide?”
“Yeah, I have been sent here under duress, so I am going to avoid the opposite sex as often as I can. It should work.”
“The darkest corner is over there. I can disconnect the lights, and you can sit there in the dimness.”
“Excellent. Thank you.” She smiled brightly, and he seemed dazzled by it.
The corner in question contained a leather-padded bench in a high-backed booth. She scooted into place with her drink and settled in for a night of people watching and reading on her ereader. The Crossroads wasn’t going to be so bad.
“What are you reading?” Chuck came by with another drink, and he lingered for a moment.
“This one is a rather torrid love affair gone wrong. It is a solid three and a half stars but nothing too exciting.”
“What do you do in the outside world?” He leaned on her table and fixed his wide-slitted eyes at her. His head was clean-shaven, which left plenty of room for more scalp tattoos.