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  Chuck caught her attention, and she brought over two menus. “Welcome to the Crossroads Café. You are new?”

  “I am. Today in fact.”

  “I look forward to seeing you frequently. Now, what would you like to drink?”

  She ordered decaf and a glass of water.

  Chuck ordered the same and smiled at her. “So, what do you do for fun?”

  She giggled. “I edit outside on sunny days.”

  “Wow. Wild woman.”

  “I have yet to find a reality that matches the world inside the books. I just enjoy it more.”

  He frowned as their beverages arrived. “Have you ever considered living a life instead of just watching them in the books?”

  She shrugged. “I have been alone my entire adult life. Spending that life having solitary adventures is not the kind of thing I want to do.”

  “So, you are looking for someone to have adventures with out in the world?”

  Ivy shook her head. “No, I am just looking for someone who doesn’t feel it necessary to demand my attention. I just want to be with someone and have them accept me for my bookish leanings.”

  He nodded and smiled, but she saw a distant look in his eyes as if he was memorizing her words.

  “It is a simple-enough desire. Why have you had problems so far?”

  “It starts off fine, but when I get immersed in my work, it becomes far more important than attending a movie or a dinner party.”

  He grinned. “I understand what you mean. Sometimes, the life of the mind is far more enriching than the physical. Don’t get me wrong, the physical is still fun, but setting your imagination free is satisfying in a different way.”

  Ivy stared at her barely human companion in shock. “That is exactly it! It’s like you read my mind.”

  Chuck snickered. “I spend my own share of time lost in my own thoughts.”

  “You don’t spend all your time at the bar?”

  He smiled. “No. I don’t sleep much either, so when I have the chance to spend time by myself, I carefully choose the form that my imagination takes.”

  Ivy tried not to be coy. “You don’t…uh…have a mate?”

  A flicker of pain crossed his features. “No. The mated folk here wear wristbands so that they are readily visible. That kind of confusion isn’t what we want for the Crossroads.”

  “I see. Well, that would clarify things somewhat.” She smiled at the server and ordered some fries.

  “That’s it?” Chuck was surprised.

  “That is it. I am still a little nervous. Fries should stay down.” She smiled shyly.

  “Still? I am not as suave as I thought I was.” He grinned. He ordered a steak, fries and a salad and the server bustled off with a grin.

  “You are trying to charm me?” She smiled shyly at him.

  He blinked and gave her a slow smile. “I suppose I am. Are you amenable to charm?”

  “Not to be mean, but I have never found a serpent charming before. This is a definite first.” It was bluntly honest.

  “Have you met many of my kind?”

  “A few anacondas over the years.”

  He sneered. “Crushers.”

  “Exactly. Not my favourite shifters.”

  He cocked his head. “What are your favourite shifters?”

  “Honestly?”

  “It seems a night for it.”

  “Porcupines. They usually have a sense of humour and enjoy their own skin. It is an admirable trait and I get along well with them.” Her boss was a porcupine, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. A shifter’s other shape was their own.

  “Well, I can’t compete with that.” He sighed and their food arrived.

  “It isn’t a competition. You still have a chance to make it into my top ten.” She squirted a puddle of ketchup onto her plate and dug into her fries.

  She noted a stillness across from her, and when she looked up, he was staring at her. His shy smile sent a trip through her heart.

  “I do?”

  “It is just a chance. Don’t blow it. Now eat.” She pointed with a fry, and he worked his way through his evening meal.

  Chapter Three

  After a night in the avian hostel, Ivy woke with a smile on her lips. Her time with Chuck had been wonderful, and when he kissed her cheek at the barrier to the women’s areas, her heart had stuttered in her chest.

  If she spent too much time around that snake, she was going to need a cardiologist.

  Teal was waiting for her in the common room. “Are you ready to go for a swim?”

  “I am very ready. Lead the way.”

  Ivy was in good spirits, and Teal looked at her slyly. “Did you have a good night?”

  “I did. It was lots of fun once I found a nice spot.”

  “Did you meet anyone?”

  Ivy thought about the twisting pictograms that covered Chuck’s arms and his hypnotizing eyes. “I did.”

  “Does he have a name?”

  Ivy didn’t answer.

  They wound their way through the streets and walked along a path that took them through a thicket of trees. On the other side of the green wall was a beautiful pool fed by a foot-high waterfall.

  Teal and Ivy giggled and shucked off their clothing, diving into the water and coming up in feathers to cruise around the pond. One black swan, one white in perfect harmony.

  ****

  Chuck rubbed his eyes as he wrote frantically.

  I am just looking for someone who doesn’t feel it necessary to demand my attention. I just want to be with someone and have them accept me for who and what I am.

  He smiled. It was just the declaration his heroine needed, and Ivy had provided it without thought.

  His publisher was pushing him for another book, but he wanted to do something different than the bodice rippers that Charlotte Penrose was known for. As an alter ego, it was a good one, but he was tiring of the same old story over and over. He wanted to write a smart heroine, one with spine, and have her find a man worthy of her.

  If he could spend some more time with Ivy’s dry wit, he might just find his heroine.

  ****

  Ivy enjoyed splashing around and the slow meditation of paddling in her swan form. It both soothed and invigorated her.

  When she and Teal waddled out of the water, they swiftly shivered the few clinging drops of water back to the ground.

  Ivy headed for her pile of clothing, and she shifted back to human. Getting dressed after a shift was always weird. None of her limbs moved right, and it took four times as long as it should.

  Teal was sitting next to her and waiting. “I love doing that in the mornings. Tony likes a flight, but for me, there is nothing better than a swim with a companion.”

  Ivy sighed and sat on the grass, watching the water. “It is nice to swim with the same species. I usually miss the group swims with my family. My schedule seems to interfere with it.”

  “You make it interfere. There comes a time when you have to choose the important versus the inconvenient. Time with your family will not come again.”

  Ivy sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. “I know, but they nag me about finding a mate constantly, so I avoid them.”

  “Find a mate and you will no longer have to avoid them. It is just that simple.”

  “Was it that easy for you?”

  Teal snickered. “No. I ran from an arrangement and Tony found me along the way. Then, I ran from Tony and I ended up with an appointment to the Crossroads.”

  “I don’t foresee that for me.” She chuckled and watched the water happily cascading over the rocks and into the pond beneath.

  “So, what is his name?”

  “Chuck.”

  Teal literally tipped over with shock. She sat up slowly. “You are not kidding.”

  “I am not. I like him. He’s funny and sharp with a nice smile and surprisingly pretty eyes once you get used to them.”

  “Oh, I know that. I am just surprised that a
newcomer to the Crossroads can see it. It seems you look a little deeper than I first guessed.” There was respect in Teal’s voice.

  Ivy shrugged. “I see what I see. He was nice to me, and he went out of his way to make contact with me. That puts him high up in my books, so to speak.”

  Teal sighed. “Well, on that note, I am heading for breakfast. Care to join me?”

  “Sure. I am a much larger fan of breakfast than dinner.”

  They walked back down the path and headed to the café. No words were necessary, they were two swans moving in unison.

  After breakfast, Ivy returned to the hostel and grabbed her work pack. With a spring in her step and a bright smile, she entered the Crossed Star.

  A stranger was behind the bar, and when she walked up to it, he introduced himself as Jim.

  “Hello, Jim. Can I get a glass of juice?”

  He blinked. “Just juice?”

  “Yes. It is a little early for anything else.”

  He shrugged and poured her a glass of orange juice. His wristband flashed silver in the dim light.

  She took her plain orange juice and slid into the dark booth in the corner. It was three hours before Chuck showed up, and there was something about the way he looked around that was very familiar.

  Chuck spoke quickly to Jim, and Jim looked at her in surprise. Without asking, he brought her a Crossroads-colada, and he slid into the booth next to her.

  “Good afternoon, Chuck.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips. “Good afternoon, Ivy. How did you sleep?”

  “I dreamed about being trapped in a snake’s coils.”

  He frowned. “Nightmare?”

  She grinned. “No.”

  His tanned skin coloured, and he smiled. “Would you consider allowing me to record some of our conversations?”

  She blinked. Whatever she thought he would say next, that was not it. “Um, why?”

  He sat back and rubbed his neck. “I have a hobby.”

  She slumped. “Damnit. You are a writer.”

  His expression showed his surprise. “How did you know?”

  “The glazed eyes, the expression you get when I say something you want to write down. A dozen little things that add up to writer. Why didn’t you say something when I mentioned what I do?”

  He was sheepish. “I write under a pen name.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Charlotte Penrose.”

  Her eyes widened, and she burst out laughing. He pulled her to him and kissed her, silencing her the only way he could without looking like a kidnapper.

  He tasted like citrus and nutmeg with a hint of honey.

  She slid her arms around his neck and held him close as he deepened the kiss. He gripped her hips and pulled her astride his lap as they continued making out.

  Ivy felt his teeth scrape her lower lip, and her head spun. She pulled away and pressed her fingers to her lip. “Did you mean to nick me?”

  He blinked as he struggled to focus. “No. Did I?”

  She hung onto his shoulders. “I think so, because the bar is spinning and my heart is going a mile a minute.”

  He cursed and the table she had been sitting behind went flying. He lifted her against his chest and snarled at Jim when a question was shouted.

  Chuck walked quickly with her clutched against him. The medical centre’s door flew open when he kicked it, and he placed her carefully on the exam bed while the woman behind the desk was just standing up.

  “Chuck, what is it?” The woman was trying to get around him, but he was hovering protectively over Ivy.

  She sighed. “His teeth grazed me, and now, I am all dizzy with a rapid heartbeat.”

  She was a little turned on as well, but she didn’t think that it was related to the bite. The make-out session had gotten her motor running before the debacle occurred.

  “My name is Lee, and I am the first aide administrator around here. As such, I have access to some fun things. This won’t hurt a bit.” Lee physically shoved Chuck out of her way, and she held up an amulet.

  “This amulet is designed to give a visual representation of your health via a colour palette. It is good for venom issues.” Lee smiled, and her tawny eyes danced with amusement.

  The cold metal touched Ivy’s chest, and it warmed rapidly. A purple-red colour burst out and left no doubt as to the shade of infection.

  Chuck was near tears. “How bad is it?”

  Lee grinned. “What were you doing when she was bitten?”

  Ivy sighed. “We were making out. I was on his lap.”

  Lee’s curiosity shone through. “Where?”

  “In the Crossed Star.”

  Lee let out a snort. “Jim must have loved that.” The woman stroked her hair back from her face, and her wrist sported one of those silvery bands.

  Ivy took a guess at the spouse, because Chuck was mute with regret. “Jim is your husband.”

  “He is. And Chuck injected you with an aphrodisiac. If you want to be technical, it is designed to make you easy prey.”

  Chuck was miserable. “I am so sorry.”

  Ivy asked, “So, how do we counteract it?”

  “You either ignore it, waiting for it to wear off, or you make it wear off.”

  “How?”

  Lee lifted off the amulet and turned back to her desk. “Sex should burn it out of your system fairly quickly.”

  Ivy looked at Chuck with narrowed eyes. “How long will this last?”

  He looked like a whipped dog. “Three days at the most. I am so sorry.”

  “Go and get my work kit from the bar and meet me back here. I have a decision to make.”

  He almost ran out of the door, nodding to Lee on his way.

  Lee sauntered over and helped Ivy sit up. “You are going to sleep with him, right?”

  Ivy snorted. “Duh. This might be the only chance I have in my life for guilt-free sex. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage?”

  Lee grinned. “My thought exactly. Now, about Chuck’s species…”

  Chapter Four

  After a lecture on Chuck’s specific kind of snake shifter, Ivy felt a little better prepared for anything that slithered up to her in the night.

  She was on her feet, next to the exam bed, when he came back with her kit.

  He immediately lifted her in his arms, cradling her carefully.

  She felt tiny next to the wall of muscle that was his chest, and she sighed as her arousal clicked up a notch.

  He strode off with her, careful not to jostle her as he moved.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To my home. You will be more comfortable there than at the hostel, no matter what you decide.” His tone was low and so very caring. He was a bundle of emotion, which was amusing considering the cold reputation of snakes.

  “That is thoughtful of you, but Lee said I could stay with her and Jim if necessary.”

  His hands tightened on her, squeezing her slightly. “No, this was my error, and I will help you through it.”

  Additional buildings flanked the row of bed and breakfasts. Tall Victorian-style buildings that offered space and civility.

  Chuck entered a home that had a small snake emblem on the doorknob and carried her over the threshold. “Welcome to my home.”

  She smiled when he carried her up the stairs, and he brought her into a very obvious guestroom. He gave her the rundown. “There are spare nightgowns in the drawer, and you should be able to find enough clothing in the wardrobe. If you truly need your things, Teal or Lee can fetch them.”

  She shivered in his arms. Being away from him and wearing anything at all was becoming an intolerable idea. She groaned and nipped at his jawline. “I think I have chosen option B.”

  He swallowed sharply. “What was B again?”

  “Having sex with you to wear the effect of the venom off.”

  “Oh. That option. Are you sure?”

  She smiled. “There are very few times in a woman’s life when
she is able to pursue sex without societal disapproval. Being bitten by a Naga counts as one of those times.”

  He wasn’t just one snake. He was all snakes. Naga were lord snakes, gods if you will. They could master all bodies of all serpents as well as do the rare half-transformation.

  He blinked at her. “Are you truly sure?”

  “I am. I want you. The bite just rushed things. I would have gotten here eventually.” She licked at his neck, gnawing and kissing her way up to his ear where she used more teeth pressure to nip his ear. He flicked her workbag to the floor and dropped her legs. His arm around her waist held her to him, and it was the only thing keeping her from the ground.

  She kept working at his neck and stroking the rock-hard bulges of his chest. “I want to see you shift. Or half-shift. Whatever is easier.”

  He paused, going motionless for a moment. “Are you sure?”

  “I am positive. I want to know what I am getting into. I want to know what will get into me even more.” She giggled and held his shoulders.

  He set her on the bed and stripped off his clothing. The tattoos covered almost every inch of skin, and there were several new inches on display.

  He took in deep breath and scales erupted all over his form before he got control and concentrated them on his lower limbs. His serpent’s tail extended beyond his normal body length, and it continued to grow and coil behind him. Finally, he reared up to a height of eight feet with his lower body completely that of a serpent. Even his erection was gone.

  “Thiss iss me.” His fangs were now out of his mouth, extending over his lower lip.

  “You are beautiful. May I touch?”

  He lowered himself somewhat, and she put her hand on his ribs, stroking down to where the scales began. He was bright green with a vivid scarlet pattern outlined with gold. In other species, his markings may have made him king. As a Naga, he was already a king.

  She caressed his scales, feeling the heat, the smooth muscle beneath each inch and the ease with which he swayed toward her. She felt something against her legs and loops of his tail circled her legs, lifting her up to face him.

  He pulled her close to him and kissed her, his teeth cool between them. She shivered and tasted that tiny drop of venom once again. Chuck had the ability to choose the function of what his venom did, and with her, he subconsciously wanted it to turn her on. How sweet was that?