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  “Fine. I will go with her and find out where I come from. If I happen to meet someone I think you would enjoy meeting, I will bring him home. Promise.” Amira stuck out her hand.

  Dorine gripped her hand and pulled her in for a hug.

  Once they separated, Amira stomped back to Sarah. “I am at your disposal. Take me where you like. Introduce me to my people. I would be delighted to go with you.”

  Sarah beamed and put her notebook away. “Excellent. Please gather clothing for a few days, and when you are ready, we will leave.”

  Amira nodded and hiked into her room, chucked some underwear, a few sets of jeans and some t-shirts into a bag. Two minutes later, she left her bathroom and returned to the kitchen.

  “Ready when you are.”

  Lianna got up and hugged her, Dorine hugged her again, and then, she was following Sarah out the door and into the mist-covered day.

  Sarah tucked her files under her arm and began to slowly rotate her wrist. “Is it always this foggy here?”

  Amira chuckled. “Of course. It is why we picked it. I can shift here, twenty feet from someone, and they can’t even see me.”

  The fog began to glow and they took a step forward. Amira was about to find out who she actually was and she wasn’t sure why it felt like the suckiest birthday present ever.

  Chapter Three

  Meeting another wolf was the strangest experience she had ever had. The urge to attack him and rip out his throat was overwhelming.

  His pack was watching as they met each other.

  Pack Master Loffwin looked her over, and she felt her hackles rise. The skin on the back of her neck rippled and the hair she shaved short to keep it from being noticeable when this sort of thing happened, tried to lift.

  “Stop eyeballing me.”

  He blinked. “Where is your sense of protocol?”

  She flexed her fingers next to her hips and lifted her lip in a snarl. “Somewhere with my sense of humour. Protocol is taught and for my first wolf, you are a crappy teacher.”

  He sat back and leaned forward, growling.

  She growled back, and the strange tingle in her eyes washed over her as the partial change took her.

  He grew, his shoulders thickened and his claws came out.

  She matched him, shift for shift, her bra stretched to the breaking point as she grew to over eight feet tall with marauding claws tipping her hands.

  The assessing look suddenly replaced his feral yellow glare. He slowly shrank back into his human form.

  Unsure of what had just happened, Amira returned to her normal form. “What was that?”

  A woman came forward with a nervous smile. “The pack master was testing you to see what your pack ranking is. You are an alpha, if you were in doubt.”

  “Excellent. What were my options?”

  The woman smiled. “Alpha, beta, gamma and omega.”

  “What are you?”

  “I am the alpha’s mate, Sari. You have a choice before you. You can either join the pack and choose a mate, or live outside the pack and report to the Shifter Council in case of emergency.”

  Sari smiled encouragingly. “We would really enjoy it if you would join us.”

  “I don’t think so. I enjoy my home and my family. I am not a group-event sort of gal. Not a team player as it were.”

  The pack master frowned. “You must join a pack.”

  Amira cocked her head. “Why?”

  “For support. For family. To find a mate of equal social standing.”

  “I don’t care about getting those from strangers. I will find my own way in this world; now, if you will excuse me, I have an appointment with the Pride Master.”

  Sari cocked her head. “Why are you meeting with him?”

  “Because he knew my father. I want to know what I can learn about why my parents were running and who helped them to hide.”

  She turned and walked away from the alpha and his mate. The gathered wolf shifters began to growl at the disrespect, but she turned and snarled at them, shifting quickly to and from her half-form.

  Apparently, it was scary enough, because they lost their growls and left her alone.

  Amira turned on her heel and headed for the exit.

  She left the wolf offices with a heavy sigh. It was rather freeing but a little dark to turn her back on her mother’s people. From the little that the general council had told her, her parents had had a forbidden love and were unable to get to the Crossroads in time to formalize it before Amira was on the way.

  The problem resided in Amira’s mother. She had actually been married at the time. An arranged marriage to a wolf had ended the day she had gotten her car towed by a lion to his family’s repair shop.

  Amira came along nine months and five states later when they were on the run. Now, she was looking forward to meeting her grandparents on her father’s side.

  * * * *

  Lorr Westerson paced in his aunt’s study. “I have to go.”

  “Then go. No one here is stopping you.” She glanced up from her bookkeeping and flapped her hand. “It is about time that you sought something or someone of your own.”

  “Are you sure? The last three times I have tried to go, you have stopped me for something stupid.”

  She smiled. “The time wasn’t right before this. Now the time is right. Get yourself to the Crossroads and butt heads with the other males for the attention of the ladies.”

  “How do you know that this is the right time?”

  “A little bird told me, now get your ass to the Crossroads.” She flapped her hand at him.

  Sighing, Lorr left the family quarry and headed for his transporter’s office. With a chance at a female of his own, he was willing to do just about anything, including shipping himself into a dimensional bubble where he could find the right woman for him.

  There was a touch of embarrassment that went with being unable to find a female the normal way, but this outlet had been created for a reason. Finding a life partner was the most important part of the herd social structure. He had tried time and again to find his female but no one he met felt right. They were always too clingy.

  He wanted a woman who was independent enough to live her own life and come home to him at the end of the day. It wasn’t too much to ask.

  * * * *

  Amira sat with her grandparents and her aunt, smiling at the pictures of her father in the album they had brought along for the occasion.

  Nadine, her grandmother, smiled at the pictures. “I am sorry that we don’t have any of your mother. She and your father lit up the room when they were together.”

  Amira looked at the images of her dad in school, on teams and surrounded by smiling faces at all times. He was well loved by those around him and his confidence showed in his expression and his bearing.

  “He was in chemistry club?”

  Nadine nodded. “He was exceptionally smart, attractive and very popular. It was a shock when he ran off with a married woman and even worse when we learned her husband and his family were pursuing them.”

  Amira looked to her grandfather, Thomas, and his slow nod. He had explained that it was his family that had paid for the trail of Laurence and Jennifer to be eradicated. It had been persistence that had caused the issue when the wolves finally caught up with them.

  Nadine asked, “Are you happy being a wolf? I am sure we could find a mage to switch you to a lion if you liked.”

  “I am fine being what I am. I have made peace with it. I am just trying to piece together a past that no one has a record of.”

  Thomas nodded. “You will find them. You will find pieces of your past when you least expect it. Your parents drove cross country on a magical journey and you were along the entire time.”

  She smiled sadly. “I only clearly remember the last few minutes of our time together. It is a thought that hurts a little when I have it.”

  “They loved you
and wanted you to have a normal life, but her pack would not call off the hunters. They had to run and keep running.”

  Amira sat back and rubbed her temples. “Why did love have to curse them like this?”

  Thomas touched her hand. “They weren’t cursed. They just didn’t find the right time to meet. Destiny was not on their side, but it could be on yours. Your grandmother and I would like to send you to the Crossroads.”

  Sarah had given her the briefing on the Crossroads and why the shifters would go. They had a chance to meet someone outside their species when they could not find a mate through normal channels. Matings begun at the Crossroads were made by the inner beast as well as the outer human. It made for a more well-rounded selection process and a happier match.

  “Now?”

  “You are in heat, so there is no reason to wait. I am guessing you have tried to slake your lust on humans but it hasn’t quite worked.” Nadine smiled.

  Amira blinked at the frankness and looked around to see that none of the people with her was the least bit embarrassed. “Um, you would be right. What is missing?”

  “In a word, magic. Your inner beast is calling out to their souls but nothing answers. Your body is satisfied but your beast is looking for a match of its own.”

  “Shifters have magic?”

  Her aunt, Aileen, chuckled. “How else do you go from a woman to a wolf half your size?”

  Amira cocked her head. “I don’t shrink. I get bigger. Isn’t that normal?”

  Her grandmother looked concerned. “You do?”

  “Yes. I am close to two hundred pounds when I shift. Is that a problem?”

  Thomas asked, “Do the wolves know about it?”

  Amira shook her head. “There was no reason to tell them.”

  Nadine sighed in relief. “Good. They would demand to keep you. That particular mutation is highly sought after in their circles. It is best that you go and quickly find a mate that suits you, not them.”

  Amira realized something. “You are really worried about me.”

  Nadine took her hand and squeezed it. “We really are. Your mother was desperately unhappy with the husband chosen for her, and we want you to be the one to pick the man that you will have to live with and enjoy.”

  She looked from one concerned face to the next and her bag by the door. What harm could checking out her options do? “When do I leave?”

  Chapter Four

  Two hours after her decision, Amira unpacked her bags in the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast.

  She didn’t have anything for having fun or luring men. Apparently, the little charm on her wrist would take care of anything she wanted. With her small bag unpacked, she headed downstairs to look around and go exploring in the Crossroads. Her hostess was waiting.

  Teebie smiled. “All unpacked?”

  “Yup. Are you really blue? Is it body paint?”

  Teebie laughed. “I am really blue. My father was blue, though not this particular shade. He was more sky blue and less primary blue.”

  Amira smiled. “It is very becoming.”

  Teebie snickered. “Enough about me. Do you want a tour of the Crossroads? Teal said she was in a hurry when you arrived.”

  “Right. I think I can find my way around. I will need some more appropriate clothing.”

  “Of course. Down the road and to the left. The store has everything you need, and what they don’t have can be procured in a number of hours.”

  It was a dismissal as a man came through the doors with his own parcels. He nodded to Teebie and gave Amira a long look with his crystal grey eyes.

  She inclined her head, said a quick, “Hello,” and was on her way out the door before he could reply.

  Her heart was hammering and her body pulsed in interest. She was not going to leave this place without having sex. It wasn’t even a possibility. Her body wanted someone inside it and here she had a pretty good chance of finding the one person she would want to screw for the rest of her life.

  Amira shook her head to clear it and headed to the general store. If she were going hunting, she would need bait.

  Dressed in a glossy liquid silver cocktail dress, Amira stepped into the Crossed Star Bar. Several of the men around the room turned to look at her, and she met their interested gazes as she made her way to the bar.

  Knowing that she was actually in heat was quite a bit different from simply thinking she was horny. Her body wanted more than just a one-night stand and that tidbit was going to have to be taken into consideration.

  She sat down at the bar and smiled at the bartender.

  The man with tattoos smiled and asked, “What can I get for you?”

  “Water with lemon.” She bit her lip when she realized that his eyes were the slitted eyes of a serpent. “Can you tell me how this works?”

  He picked up the lemon slice with a pair of tiny tongs that looked ridiculously correct in his fingers. “You let yourself feel and listen to your reactions. When you find the right one, you will know it. Don’t fight it. Let yourself learn them and they will learn you.”

  “What if our beasts don’t agree? What if they aren’t compatible?” She bit her lip.

  “You will know immediately. Your inner animal won’t let you choose a mate that isn’t compatible. You might not know why, but you will be a match and you will be able to begin planning your life from there.” He grinned, showing a bit of fang. “It worked out fine for me. I never suspected that I would find a mate, let alone a swan, but there she is in the corner, scowling and working on our latest project.”

  “Project?”

  He looked proud. “We write books together. It is a bizarrely satisfying partnership.”

  She smiled and accepted her water with lemon. “Thanks. That gives me hope.”

  “Be open to the possibilities. You never know what will come your way if you give it a chance.”

  “Wise words.”

  “True words. This place was developed to give shifters a place to meet each other without worrying about humans walking in at the wrong time. You are out of reality and you can truly be yourself. Do it.”

  He nodded and headed off to the other end of the bar to fill another order.

  Amira took her water and walked to one of the high tables near the dance floor. She boosted herself onto a chair and crossed her legs. With the bait set, she only had to wait.

  Fortunately, the men at the Crossroads did not keep her waiting long.

  She was up and dancing with a male who smelled fascinating. They didn’t exchange names, simply let their animals get to know each other.

  When the brunette released her at the end of the song, another took his place, and she danced for two hours before returning to the bar to get another water with lemon.

  Her feet throbbed. The new shoes fit well but they were still new and needed major breaking in.

  The man from the bed and breakfast stood next to her. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  She cocked her head. “I am. I am Amira.” She extended her hand.

  He took it with a smile. “Lorr.”

  Her skin flicked to life and flames roared up her arm out of that small contact. She nearly dropped to her knees, but the bar stool caught her.

  He seemed just as surprised as she was. His cool grey eyes blinked slowly and he smiled. “Would you care to dance?”

  Amira smiled. “I don’t think I have a choice.”

  He laughed and held her hands as she hopped off her chair and followed him to the dance floor. The song was a little fast for slow dancing, but he managed to plaster her against him, and they rocked together in lazy circles.

  She was tall but he was taller. With a happy sigh, she pressed her head to his shoulder and let him lead them around the dance floor.

  The music slowed down and they swayed together. His hand was in the centre of her back and pressing her against the erection that was unmistakable. She kept her face averted
as her fingers curled on his shoulder. She wanted to grab him, haul him into a dark corner and explore every inch of the cock pressing against his trousers.

  Somehow, she was almost positive that it defied first-date etiquette if you wanted to see the guy the next morning. She had never been good at the second date.

  Lorr bent his head and inhaled against her hair.

  She smiled. She had been snuffling against his neck for two songs.

  When the song ended, she pulled back. “I think I still need that glass of water.”

  He smiled. “Do you mind if I join you?”

  Amira slid her hand down his arm and took his hand with her fingers woven through his. She hauled him to the bar and the bartender had her water with lemon waiting for her.

  He got a glass of cider, and together, they took a seat in one of the booths.

  “So, Lorr, what brings you here?”

  He smiled. “Timing. The other three times I attempted to come to the Crossroads, my family thwarted my efforts. This time, I was informed that my journey was encouraged. What brings you?”

  She shrugged. “Necessity. Heat. Learning about other shifters and my own family for the first time.”

  Lorr looked surprised. “Could you explain?”

  “Of course, but this isn’t really the right environment.”

  He looked around. “I believe you are right.”

  He set his half-glass of cider aside. “Would you care to join me for dinner in the café?”

  “I haven’t eaten in a while, so sure.”

  She drank her water and smiled. “Ready when you are.”

  They got to their feet and brushed against each other on their way out into the evening air. When another male approached, Lorr put his arm around her and eased her against him.

  Amira had no objection, her body was running riot and it picked up the beat when he pulled her against him.

  The urge to fling him against a convenient surface was becoming more difficult to contain, but she held it back.

  They headed into the café and settled at a table with his knees bracketing hers.