Chapter Three

 

 

With her clothing changed for something far more practical, she grabbed the pack filled with everything Teebie could think of and headed into the dark of the Crossroads.

Scarlet needed to think about this, to gain perspective on what she was looking for. Since the cards had spoken for her beast, she wasn’t sure what she wanted from this process. Did she want to find a guy who had a business, a sense of humour, someone wild, sexy? She had no clue what she was looking for.

Scarlet had three days to work herself out before Teebie sent out a search party. It was an interesting deadline, but if the djinn thought that it was for her safety, Scarlet wasn’t going to argue.

Hiking out of the Crossroads took her past the couples and singles who were heading for the bar. She smiled and nodded at a few of those who noticed her, but she didn’t break stride. The pretty man from earlier was on his own, and he did a double take as she passed him. She inhaled—catching his scent—and kept walking.

The hills and scent of the sea were ahead of her, and she just knew that the blend of hills and forest that she craved were out there somewhere.

 

* * * *

 

Hiro McCreary walked into the Open Heart, and he smiled at his hostess. “Good evening, Teebie.”

Teebie blinked. “Hiro, you are back early.”

“There was an incident, and the woman I was interested in left before I could introduce myself. I think I saw her wearing a pack and heading toward the isthmus.”

Teebie smiled. “That is possible. I have a guest who isn’t quite ready to jump into the mating pool.”

“She’s hiking her way back to Earth?” He raised his brows.

“No, she comes from a wilderness tradition, so she is going to find a quiet place and think about what she wants in a mate.” Teebie paused. “And I just realized that I am sharing personal information about a guest, with a guest.”

Hiro snorted. “Don’t worry about me. I am just a contractor. I am heading out to the new retreat in the morning, so don’t worry if I am not down for breakfast. I like to run at dawn.”

She nodded. “Right. Did you want me to prepare you a pack tonight?”

Hiro smiled. “That would be great. I will collect it in a few minutes.”

He stopped himself from rubbing his hands together.

“She is headed for the mountains where the forest is thickest. Just in case you were wondering.” Teebie offered that information over her shoulder as she walked toward the kitchen.

“I thought you weren’t up for giving away any information.”

Her voice drifted out of the kitchen. “I already broke confidentiality; what is a direction between a contractor and a host?”

He chuckled and lifted his head. He could still smell her. It was the light scent of pine mixed with a warm summer night. Her scent was made of forest and flowers.

As he waited for Teebie to return, he closed his eyes and imagined that swathe of crimson hair, the golden skin, and the disdainful eyes as she looked at her dance partner. The strength she showed as she brought the stag to his knees had driven Hiro’s emotions from interest to fascination. She didn’t smell like she had a beast with that much power, but she obviously had something behind that petite exterior. He looked forward to seeing what her beast truly was.

His host came to him with a pack in her hands. “Here you go. Food for you in either form. There is a compression spell on the steak, so don’t open it until you are going to eat it.”

“Yes, Teebie.”

She smiled, “Now, go and get what you need to follow her. Just make sure you stay out of sight. She needs time to come to her own decision; you just want to be there when she does.”

“I do have work to do.”

She grinned and nodded. “Of course you do, have a nice trip and slap the bag on the ground three times for a refill.”

“Will do. Keep my room for me.”

“Of course.” She winked and left him standing near the stairs.

Hiro heard the sounds of someone entering the back door, and soon, the soft chuckles of the mated couple took over. In the seven visits he had made to the Crossroads over the last two years, he had never seen Teebie happier than when she was with her mate. That close affection and total vulnerability with one person was something he craved. He was just going to have to find it for himself before she got away.

Taking the steps two at a time, he headed up to get his jeans and t-shirt as well as a change of clothing. Giving her a head start wasn’t a problem. There were plenty of places around the Crossroads for him to work on and design. No matter where she went, he could find something nearby to do while he gave her her space. This particular dance was definitely one that no one would interfere with. If anyone came near her, they would be sent packing before she knew they were there.

 

* * * *

 

Scarlet kept walking until dawn was creeping closer. Eight hours of hiking in unfamiliar territory had definitely cleared her mind. The forest that she had found wasn’t as hilly as she would like, but it did have enough old growth for her to settle for the night.

Humming to herself, she climbed a tree, swinging until she was fifteen feet up before she carefully removed her shoes—tucking them in her bag—and her clothing. She wedged the bag in tightly and shifted into her red panda form. Comfortable in the trees, she found a branch that fit her perfectly and settled in for a nap in the dappled sunshine.

A few long, slow breaths and she was in tune with her beast, and her beast was comfortable in the growing light. Time for some rest, and then, she could figure out what she wanted in a man.

 

Scarlet stretched in the tree and moved to a safe position to shift form. Her body stretched and returned to her normal Asian tones with the scarlet topper. She had been named for her hair.

She grabbed her bag and moved down toward the ground with careful choices as to which tree branch would be good. Climbing an unfamiliar tree was not something to try naked, but getting down was easy. Well, it was easy for her.

Scarlet slipped on her pack and went looking for the pond that she had seen the night before. Her senses were always keen in the afternoons, and the warmth of the pool was easy to locate.

Smiling, she put her clothing down as a picnic blanket at the pool’s edge, and she removed a serving of food from her pack. Teebie hadn’t been kidding when she said the packing was compressed. What looked like a flat container rapidly turned into a huge meal of shredded beef stir fry, rice, pickles, and a cupcake. Scarlet grinned and got to work.

 

* * * *

 

Hiro stayed deep in the shadows. His prey had appeared out of nowhere while he had been working on the design for the bathhouse. He had quickly shifted into his beast and hidden in the darkness of the trees.

His claws dug deep into the soil as he watched. She was naked and looked like no nymph he had ever imagined.

For someone as small as she was, her legs went on forever, her hair cascaded from her shoulder over one breast and the bronze nipple of the other one was flirting with him from the distance.

Hiro’s beast licked its lips. The scent drifted to him again, flowers and forest.

He watched her eat her meal or perhaps interviewed it would be more appropriate. She appeared to be debating the pros and cons of each piece of her food as if it was a suitor.

 

* * * *

 

She held up a pickle in the grip of her chopsticks, “So, if I find a guy with a career or a business of his own, would he expect me to move to him? Giving up my family would be huge. I don’t think that it is feasible.”

She bit through the spicy-tangy pickle and sighed. “This is getting me nowhere.”

Scarlet caught the scent again. She could smell musk and oranges. It was a weird mix, but she was guessing that there was another shifter in the woods somewhere.

She hoisted the cupcake up and stared at it. “How much am I willing to give up? Is it enough for me to give myself, or am I willing to change? I hate changing. It is bad enough that my beast wants a mate, but why do I have to go along with it. Hell, I would go to the zoo if that wouldn’t be exceptionally creepy and illegal. There are pandas there.”

Her inner beast growled with outrage.

“Fine, fine. It was just a very bad thought.”

She prepared to divide her cupcake, and the light shifted as the sun moved. Where there had been nothing but shadow, she could see a sliver of orange in the woods thirty metres away.

“I have a cupcake if you would care to share it.” She held up her hand with the food in it.

Scarlet hoped she was right, but odds were that there were no natural animals around the Crossroads.

The orange streak didn’t move.

“You, Orangey. Come out, come out wherever you are.” While she watched, the orange shifted and moved. It came toward her, and while she thought it might have been a fox, she was very nervous about being face to face with a tiger.

The slow approach was nerve-wracking, but the one thing she wasn’t worried about was nudity. Being a shifter was like spending time in the locker room. Everybody got naked. It was just how the shifting culture worked.

He was orangey-gold, white and a satin-finish black. The huge head and the musk in his scent confirmed her diagnosis of male. His tail lashed in a slow wave, and his dark gold eyes looked at her with calm assessment as he got closer.

She waited until he came around the warm pond before she cut the cupcake with the chopsticks. “Would you like the cake for the cat or yourself?”

The beast stretched, and the fur retreated, leaving the elf with the beautiful features and long, dark hair.

“You’re... I thought you... aren’t you fey?”

He cocked his head. “I am not fey; I am just the product of two ridiculously good-looking parents. You offered cake?”

She grabbed half the cupcake with the chopsticks and held it out to him. He turned his head and took a deep bite.

His dark gold eyes fluttered closed for a moment in enjoyment. When he finished chewing, he smiled, “That is really good.”

She blushed. “Not my doing, but when you finish the rest of your part, I will have mine.”

He took the rest of the piece, catching a few crumbs and tucking them into his mouth before chewing.

She divided the remaining half in two and took one half for her first bite. She sighed happily. That was an excellent cupcake. “She really does know how to bake.”

“Teebie? Yeah. I recognize the style.”

Scarlet looked at the last piece and looked at her guest. “Would you care for the last piece?”

He smiled. “It is yours to enjoy. Never deprive yourself on my account.”

She quickly ate the last of the cake, tidied up the remains of the meal, and put the box back in her pack. The rush to finish diminished her enjoyment, but there would be other cupcakes in her life.

Her guest knelt easily next to her. “May I introduce myself?”

She blushed. “Please.”

“I am Hiro McCreary.” He waited with his head cocked for her name.

“Scarlet Wilson. Your last name doesn’t seem to suit you.”

He chuckled. “I get that a lot. My father was researching the effect of earthquakes on historical buildings in Hokkaido, and my mother was his translator. They both are tiger shifters, and as his business would bring them back to Japan frequently, her family didn’t have much of a problem with the marriage. It was very forward thinking of them.”

She stared at him and tried to take in that she was looking at another shifter, like herself. He was a child of two cultures, so was she, and they both liked cupcakes. Friendships had been built on less.