Seeing Spots (3 page)

He smiled in slow satisfaction and she ducked under her covers, waiting for the medic.

Five minutes later, a hand touched her shoulder. “Sable, my name is Spike and I have brought some of our diagnostic toys here to sweep over you. Teebie mentioned that you got stuck in a shift?”

Sable peeked out of the bedding and nodded at the woman from the bar. She was the one who had smacked the other woman for being a jackass.

Spike looked relieved. “Is it only your voice?”

Sable shrugged. She really didn’t want to look down for a nipple count.

Spike handed her a notepad and mechanical pencil.

She wrote.
My beast has control of my voice.

Spike winced. “That sucks. Let’s see if I have anything in my bag of tricks for that.”

The woman sat and hummed cheerfully while she rifled through her medic kit. She held up a vial and smiled in triumph. “Got it. You are not the only one ever to get stuck at the Crossroads. A few have even been kinda gory. We got them all into fighting shape. Two even lived to seduce their mates ten minutes after healing.”

The vial glowed with a pink liquid, and Spike shook it up. “This might get you high. I am just saying that it is an option.”

Sable really wanted to laugh.
Why is it glowing?

“Fey magic. It clashes with the shifter magic and will reset you to original physical condition, as a human. It will be about forty-eight hours before you can shift again. Remember that or you will be in the same boat and I have no way of getting replacement doses.”

Sable nodded and put one hand over her heart as a promise.

“It is going to burn going down. Swallow every drop of it. Your body is going to fight it and I will have to hold you down.”

Warren offered. “I can help.”

Sable scowled, but when she opened her mouth, a mewl came out.

Spike nodded. “Right, let’s get this done.”

Warren came around and sat on the other side of her bed. “Ready when you are.”

Sable took the vial and opened the lid, holding her nose and dumping the contents down her throat.

Spike quickly took the empty container.

Sable swallowed and then did it again. The taste in her mouth was rapidly going bitter and her throat tingled. She started to tell Spike that she felt fine when an invisible hand gripped her throat and squeezed.

Sable thrashed around and clawed at her neck. Warren grabbed her wrists and held her down with his torso across hers. She bucked and twisted against him for what felt like hours.

She was coated with sweat and gasping when the crushing of her larynx stopped.

Sable licked her lips and said, “You can get off now, Warren.”

He smiled and winked. “I think I did.”

He moved away from her and tucked the sheet back over her exposed breasts.

Spike snorted and said, “Well, if you need anything else, have Teebie come and get me.”

Sable smiled. “Thank you. It is nice to be able to use my own voice. I was a little frightened for a while.”

Spike pulled her bag back together and she nodded. “Just relax for an hour or so, and no shifting for two days.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Spike sighed and nodded at Warren. “If you see her doing anything stupid, let Teebie know and she will put a stop to it.”

Sable tucked herself in and stared at Warren the moment that Spike left. “If you will give me some privacy, I want to get dressed.”

“She said you were to relax for an hour or so.” Warren gave her a narrow-eyed look.

“I can relax while wearing clothes. Shoo.” She flapped a hand at him.

He sat back at the table and smiled. “So, what brings you to the Crossroads?”

She gave him what she hoped was an evil glare before she squirmed under her covers toward the foot of the bed where her bag was sitting. She hauled it under the blankets with her and back to the head of the bed.

“I am here because there is no one in my community who will consider me as a mate. Do you want to know the whole story?” She opened the bag and grabbed the first bra she found. She breathed a little easier when she grabbed a pair of panties and pulled them on.

Nudity was fine when everyone was about to or just had worn fur. By herself and trapped in human form meant she was going to be a prim and proper human lady.

“Please. I promise to tell you whatever you want to know about me.”

“Fine. When I was a teenager, I was in love with another cheetah named Brendan. We laughed, we fooled around and we enjoyed each other’s company. When I was sixteen and he was seventeen, he got drunk and wrapped his car around a pole with no seat belt. He died instantly.”

“I am sorry for your loss.”

She looked over at him and smiled. “It was a decade ago but thank you. Anyway, in our community, our relationship had made us mates though nothing was formalized. That meant that all of his relations were now mine and he had a very big family. Cheetahs don’t breed within family boundaries, and so, I had no chance to find a mate with my own people. Since I had to travel outside our confines to find someone, I finally came to the realisation that the Crossroads was my best bet.”

Warren smiled. “If only you had known.”

Sable shrugged into a long dress. “I might have hesitated.”

He chuckled as she wormed her way to the edge of the bed and pulled her dress over her legs. “That is well done.”

“I spent some time at camp when I was younger, before my first shift.”

“You learned to change under the covers?”

“It was better than having strange girls gawking at me because I developed early.”

The dress was a soft blue and gave her the air of innocence that she tried to pretend she didn’t have. She always looked like she had just stepped out of a convent on her first day in the sordid world. Her mom generally picked clothing for her that had that sensibility. Since Sable wasn’t that interested in seeking out the opposite sex, it hadn’t been an issue before. Now that she was here, she wanted something a little more alluring.

She turned her head and got some leather slippers from her bag, putting them on her feet and then she stood. “I would like a cup of coffee or tea and I think Teebie might be able to manage it.”

“Let me at least help you down the stairs. You still look wiped out.”

She snorted. “It figures. My human form is exhausted and my beast is wired up and I can’t use her for two days. Nothing is going my way. Sure. Please, help me.”

Warren was at her side, and she took in his height, his strength and the warm and comforting scent that he exuded. Her skin tingled, and she wasn’t sure if it was the residue from the fairy dose or hormones coming online.

She held onto his arm while they walked down the stairs, and he came in handy. She stumbled twice.

Teebie smiled when she came down and waved her into the dining room. A tray of small sandwiches, pots of tea and another of coffee.

Sable looked at her with a grateful smile. “Is this heaven?”

Sable sat for hours, sipping tea with lemon and honey, coffee and eating small sandwiches that looked like they were designed for dolls.

Warren asked her small questions about her family and why she hadn’t made a move earlier.

“It came down to being that last woman standing. My brothers have all started their families and my father was planning on me being at home during his retirement. It was getting ugly fast. My nephew even provided me with a list of what I needed to find in a man, or at least what he wanted in an uncle. So, all members of my family drove me to it, one way or another.”

He chuckled. “Wow.”

“What made you make the final decision, Warren?”

She smiled as Teebie brought in a tray of profiteroles and set them down in front of her.

He shrugged. “A friend met his mate here, and he swears that fate sticks its fingers in this place on a regular basis. He and his mate just had a child. A little baby girl.”

Teebie smiled. “He is referring to Lee and Jim. James is his friend. They are the same kind of shifters.”

“What kind is that?”

Warren winced. “I don’t want to rub it in, but I am a tiger.”

Sable laughed. “And tigers get all the chicks. You must have had a rough time of it. Finding a mate is hard for you when all the women want you for your stripes.”

He raised his brow. “You don’t?”

She smirked. “I am good with spots. I like my spots.”

“You are very impressive. All lithe and graceful.”

“Thank you, it is the beast I was born with.” She ate one of the teeny creampuffs with a smile. It seemed her body was a bottomless pit.

“It is a very lovely beast. You shine in the light of the afternoon sun.”

“Not for two more days.” Sable made a face.

“It is not so long a period of time.”

“You are really not making it better.”

He got up and came around the table, weaving his fingers through her hair and tugging her head back. He kissed her with a ravenous flurry of lips and tongue, pulling back when she started to respond.

She blinked and pressed a hand to her mouth, the slight swelling of her skin and the throb in her lips was impossible to ignore. “Why did you do that?”

“I tried to make things better and you weren’t going for it, so I tried something different.” He returned to his seat and drank his tea.

Sable felt like her eyes were as wide as saucers. When he continued to smile, she pulled her fingers from her lips and cupped her hands around her teacup. “It was certainly distracting. How are you dealing with your restriction? I mean your being stuck here.”

He propped his chin on his fist and stared at her with brilliant leaf-green eyes. “I am managing to keep myself entertained.”

Sable focused on her plate and finally felt full. She sipped at her tea and groped for another conversational gambit.

Sable sighed. “I need to go for a walk.” She stood up and held onto the table while her head spun.

He rose to his feet and offered her his hand. “I will come with you. You still don’t seem very steady on your feet.”

She felt his free hand touch her lower back. “Is that an excuse to get some fresh air or cop a feel?”

He chuckled. “I love a surprise, don’t you?”

* * * *

Dira sighed and stretched as the negotiations proceeded. “I think I need to call a break before I lose my control and start eating elves.”

The table went quiet and Wormith went pale. “I believe a twenty-minute break is definitely called for.”

The gathering broke up and Mak came over to rub her shoulders. “You are doing well, but this is going to be different than the first time you worked with the Crossroads. You are going to have a lot more magic to deal with for one thing. Can you still shape it?”

Dira put her hand over his on her shoulder and turned her head to inhale the scent of his skin.

She pressed a kiss to his arm and she twisted to look up at him. “I can still do it. Blending the magics will make it a lot bigger than it currently is, but it is doable. It will also provide more living space for those who are not equipped to live with humanity next door. It is a good plan, a good idea. I am just upset by the means by which they have done this. There have been no overtures to me regarding the expansion or inclusion. If they had done that earlier, there would have been no reason to cut the Crossroads loose.”

She got up and he gave her the hug that she needed. She didn’t mention the sixty occupants and eight guests currently in the Crossroads. He knew that she was worried.

She held him for the rest of the break and took the emotional strength that she needed. He offered it to her without a whimper. Mak’s personal strength as not just her lover but also a business partner meant that he knew how high the stakes were for her. If she rebuilt the Crossroads with fey magic in the mix, everything would change and her connection would be diluted.

When everyone was back at the table, she looked around. “Now, we need to address security.”

Wormith blinked. “Pardon me?”

“Security. We need all access to be done through authorized transporters. As you are no doubt aware, there has always been a trade of goods for the transport services. This has served two purposes. It provides the mages with the materials they need for their spells and it makes sure that checks are run on those who are being sent to the Crossroads so that no one can cross the threshold with ill intent. It is a safe space and no matter who seeks love, it must remain so.”

Wormith frantically began writing and he muttered to himself as he nodded. He closed his eyes.

Dira watched as his eyeballs darted beneath the lids. She could feel the communication he was engaged in.

When his eyes opened, he nodded. “The transporters will still remain the link to the Crossroads. The fey will need a list of transporters in their area.”

Krisia nodded. “I can do that. Now, what will the fey offer to us as payment for the transport?”

Wormith cleared his throat. “What is normally offered?”

Krisia smiled. “Pieces of the beast form. Nails, feathers, fur, scales, horns, whatever is their preferred means of payment. What can the fey offer?”

Wormith closed his eyes again.

Dira took Mak’s hand when he joined her at the table. As a unicorn whose family could either mate with another of their species or find their own mate, he was concerned for his children and his siblings. The Crossroads had brought them together, and he was as interested in the protection and future of the dimensional bubble as she was.

It was strange that a survival-based hostage situation had been necessary to bring them all to the table.

Dira had a sudden thought and she picked up her cell phone, making a call. “Lekiadra, I would like a representative to come here and join a conversation. Your folk are not represented here and I believe it would be beneficial.”

Her great grandniece hemmed. “What is up?”

“Access to the Crossroads for those who wish to find their mates amongst the shifters or other fey.”

“Give me five minutes.”

Wormith stared at her with wary eyes. “What was that?”