Running for Home (3 page)

He was left staring at the screen.

“Well, fuck.”

He headed to the clinic to watch the medics finish getting Apollo into a sitting position, semi-sober.

Apollo was looking sheepish. “Sorry about that.”

Derix walked over to him and put the phone in his hand. “Your grandmother called. Apparently, you haven’t been listening to your messages.”

Apollo looked at his phone. “I can’t. I can’t listen to her voice. I failed her.”

“Juno has a job at the Crossroads. She has been there for a few weeks.”

Apollo looked up. “What?”

“She isn’t in the human world anymore. She has been offered and has accepted a position at the Crossroads. Check your fucking messages.”

Apollo’s pale cheeks coloured, and he listened to the phone on speaker.

“
Hey, bro. I just wanted to let you know that I am getting on with things, and I have been offered a job at the Crossroads as a guide. I am going to take it. I get to tell folks where to go, all day long. Right up my alley. Take care, love you.
”

Derix relaxed inwardly. She wasn’t on an active hunt for a mate. He still had time.

Apollo was staring at him. “What is that look on your face?”

“What look?”

“The same look I was giving to the sign that said one-dollar shooters. Longing, desire and frustration.”

Derix shrugged. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Yes, you do. You get that face every time I mention Juno. What is going on with you two?”

Derix shrugged. “She likes my music.”

“God damn it! You want her.” He clutched his stomach and groaned.

“She is a lovely woman and strong. She was on the edge, but she has fought her way back from despair. The job at the Crossroads will be good for her.”

“Don’t you think she has had enough fey in her life?”

Derix patted his partner’s leg. “There is always room for the right one.”

“I am formally filing my objection to you as my brother-in-law.”

Derix crossed his arms. “Why?”

Apollo floundered for a moment before he came up with, “You are too damned pretty.”

Derix nodded. “I will take that under advisement. This is up to her though, so if she wants me, I am going to do everything I can to keep her approval.”

He left his partner with his mouth open and shock in his expression. Derix felt rather good about the declaration. It felt right.

Lord Tibor sat at the table while Derix stood for his debriefing.

“We have noticed that for the last eight weeks your partner has become unstable.”

The shifter and mage representative nodded.

“There has been tension in his life. He has not come to grips with being unable to locate his sister on his own after she disappeared.”

“Well, he is going to have to do that soul searching on his own. It is too dangerous to have you with a partner who has lost his focus.”

Derix couldn’t argue, but he tried. “It isn’t dangerous. It is a minor annoyance.”

Tibor shook his head. “It is unacceptable. You are on leave for the next few weeks until we can find someone to partner with you.”

Derix nodded. “I understand. Are there any restrictions on me?”

“No. Do as you will.”

Derix inclined his head and bowed to the council. He was dismissed.

He walked through the halls and looked for the communications office. He had an application to put in.

* * * *

Juno was having a lot of fun. She got her clients, Teal and Tony whisked the luggage to their home away from home, and she took them on a tour.

Two weeks in, she had the feeling that she was finally where she belonged. She had set off-duty hours. She had the occasional evening off, and the occupants of the Crossroads had accepted her as one of their own.

It was fun to have a place to belong, and the amount of fey who came to her for advice on how to date the shifters was extremely amusing. She had no clue, but she enjoyed trying to give them different techniques to sneak up on their romantic prey.

The difference of what was happening in contrast to her own situation was night and day. Drak was the perfect example of why not to tar all fey with Falkir’s brush.

He was kind, helpful and generous with his time and with the history of his people. The fact that his brother had found his mate at the Crossroads recently was making him eager to help others find the same happiness.

The Axion contained more fey occupants than shifters, but the balance was fluid, and Drak was looking forward to twenty-five percent capacity.

After a lot of trial and error, Juno had found a way to wear a sundress and low heels while on her slide. The perennial warm weather made dressing comfortably an imperative.

She was at the General Store trying to convince Andy that chocolate was far more than a simple snack when her wristlet buzzed.

With a swing in her step, she pranced over to the Meditation Centre, and when she saw the man speaking to the guardians, she paused. “Oh. Hello.”

Derix turned and smiled as he was fit with a copper band. “Hello, Juno.”

Tony looked at her then at Derix and back again. “You two know each other?”

They smiled and said at the same time, “We do.”

Teal looked at them and whistled. “Okay. Fair enough.”

“Where is he staying?” Juno asked the guardians while Derix continued to smile.

“He is staying at the Axion. Derix is the new bouncer for the Crossed Star. With all the fey mingling with the shifters, we need a little more crowd control.”

“Oh. Okay. What happened to Apollo?” Her scowl was immediate. “Is he all right?”

“He is back home with your grandmother getting his butt kicked on a daily basis.”

She chuckled. “He probably needs it if he has gotten to the point where the council has kicked him out.”

He frowned. “Who told you?”

She gave him a grim smile. “You just did.”

He winced.

She extended her hand. “If you are all checked in, come on.”

He grabbed her hand, and she hauled him along, showing him the wonders of the Crossroads.

“You are looking better.” Derix smiled as they left the café after the round of introductions to the staff.

“Thank you. I feel better. I gained most of my weight back at the recovery centre, and here, all I do is eat and go for walks, so it has been great for my rehabilitation.”

“I never imagined you in a skirt.”

She laughed. “Well, since you know I am Apollo’s sister and most think we look similar, if you can’t imagine him in a skirt, you can’t imagine me in a skirt.”

He clapped his free hand over his eyes. “Now, I have to get that image out of my mind. Apollo in a skirt is not a great idea.”

“I would say I am sorry, but I’m not. Well, here is your new place of business.” She grinned. “Spike and Chuck are in charge. They can usually handle themselves, but Spike is also the medic, so if she is needed elsewhere, it might leave the bar unattended. You would have to keep the folks under control if that happened.”

“Easy.”

“How many horny female shifters have you and my brother confined and controlled?” Juno was grinning.

“Um, none?”

“There is going to be a rather steep learning curve. The ladies get a little agitated when there is so much competition for the men, and the men do the same.”

“What about the fey?”

“They tend to step on shifter tradition and get their asses handed to them. They are harder to fix, so Spike would appreciate not having to fix them. That is where you come in.”

He grinned. “I live to serve.”

She led him into the Crossed Star and introduced him to the bartenders. It was early in the evening and the bar was slowly filling.

Spike grinned and half-shifted when she shook Derix’s hand. “Glad to have a little backup.”

Chuck came over when he finished pouring cocktails for some new arrivals. His handshake was challenging. “Slender hands for such a large guy. Are you sure you can handle this crowd?”

“I am going to check the patterns of this place tonight; tomorrow, I will be ready for anything.”

Chuck grinned. “That is what I thought. I am still surprised on a regular basis.”

They finally released their weird man-to-man handshake.

Spike beckoned to Juno and pulled a take-away cup out of the fridge. “Here. Today’s milkshake. Ice cream, milk, cream, vanilla and protein powder.”

“Thanks, sweetie. These are really helping.”

“I haven’t seen many ladies here who are trying to gain weight.” Spike winked. “And I am enjoying the quality-control process.”

Juno sipped at the sweet slurry and tapped Derix on the arm. “Did you want to continue, or are you good staying here?”

“I would like to continue the tour, please.” He smiled, and she saw autumn twinkling in his eyes.

She sipped at her milkshake and inclined her head toward the door. A moment later, she headed out and expected him to follow. He didn’t disappoint.

He snagged her hand, and she didn’t fight it. It felt nice, warm and secure.

Juno took him to the shifter’s meadow. “While here, many of the folks want to have a break from the nervousness they feel when shifting. The shifter’s meadow accesses woods and has enough space to get up a good head of steam. Enough to tire out any of the beasts that want a day out.”

“What about the water beasts?”

Juno smiled. “The facility is just about ready. They will be able to enter their aquatic habitat, fresh or salt water, and enjoy themselves in that way.”

Derix smiled. “I know a few water fey who will be lining up to come here.”

“The seers have already gotten a bunch of water fey lined up. I had no idea that mermen outnumbered their females by so much.”

He nodded. “The tale of the entire fey realm. The chance to join with the shifters is one that we appreciate. The human mates are better than none, but they lack the magic we have cultivated over eons.”

“Wow. Blunt.”

He grinned. “Once our society allowed us to run wild with the shifters and the mages provided the binding spell, there was nothing left but to take the fey into a bold, new direction.”

“Into the shifters’ beds?” She quirked her lips.

“As often as possible. Humans tire of sex fairly quickly. The fey that have already bonded indicate that it isn’t the case with the shifters.”

Juno laughed. “Uh, no. You have been around my brother for a while. You should be aware of the sex drive unless you are both blind and deaf.”

“That goes for females?”

“Sure. In fact, when our beasts go into heat, it gets worse. Or better, if you want to think of it that way.” She smiled. “Well, the cabanas are where the shifters can leave their clothing, and from there, they simply sprint out and enjoy their beast in complete security. Some, for the first time in their lives.”

“Do you take advantage of it?”

She smiled and turned him. “I let my tail fly now and then. It is the most relaxing thing in the world.”

“This place has really been good for you. You are glowing. Happy.” He squeezed her hand.

She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. “It must be the company.”

He let out a deep exhalation and chuckled. “Thank the bright goddess. I thought that it might only be going one way.”

“The attraction? No, it is definitely mutual, but I didn’t want you thinking it was a damsel-in-distress issue. You brought me joy and helped my pain, but it was you that I sought out. The man made of fallen leaves who played with the wind.”

She glanced at him, and he was blushing. The castle loomed next to the huge Victorian house.

“Well, this is the Axion. It concludes our tour. Drak will show you to your quarters. He is a very considerate host.”

Her wrist cuff vibrated and started to glow. “It looks like I am summoned. I will see you later?”

“You will.” He kissed the back of her hand, and she scampered off with her skin tingling.

Her heart soared, and she could hear the music he used to play for her. The songs with no name that lifted her heart no matter what form she was wearing.

She took the shy, young woman on a tour of the Crossroads, but her mind was still at that moment when Derix had bent over her hand for a kiss.

“Are the men very aggressive?”

Juno was reeled back to her reality as someone trying to introduce Jill to the possibilities of the Crossroads.

“No. They are here to find mates, not force a mating. Let your beast lead you, and if there isn’t a spark, tell the man so.”

“What if he pursues it?” Jill wove her fingers together nervously.

“There are employees of the Crossroads who are here to stop anyone from getting carried away, literally or figuratively.”

Jill was a cow. Farm-animal shifters were relatively rare as the confusion with the natural beasts made their lives a little short and unpredictable. Poaching on their farms often ended their lives.

“Can you come with me? I mean the first time I go to the bar?”

Juno linked arms with the shy woman. “I can and will. I might be called on to do a tour, but I will return as quickly as I can.”

“Thank you.”

They chatted companionably as they walked through the small town. Juno pointed out the spa and salon as well as the restaurant and the café. “Everything here can be bought with a swipe of the charm on your wrist. If you end up with a fey, they pick up the tab.”

Jill looked at the small gemstone in her charm. “So, don’t go crazy but be willing to splurge if I need to.”

“Just trust your instincts. That is what you are here for.”

“I am here because there aren’t any guys back home that I am not related to.” Jill blushed. “Sending me to another herd is just tacky.”

“Well, this is an excellent place to find a mate with magic in his blood.”

Juno smiled and showed Jill the Crossed Star before cruising to the shifter’s meadow.

“You can come here whenever you like and frolic in the grasses. It is always nice to just get into your beast and laze around in the sun.”

Jill looked excited. “No one will attack?”