Free Deer Heart [Shifter Crossroads 3] by Zenina Masters

Chapter One
    V enezia Raingo stood aside and watched as her twin-engine plane was fuelled for her trip home.
    Tomas grinned at her as she paced restlessly.
    “In a hurry to get home?”
    She snorted and stomped her heel. “You have no idea. I missed my community gathering, and I am a little desperate to get back.”
    “You have a boyfriend waiting?” She twisted her lips and thought of Kevin. He wasn’t her ideal mate, but he was the best of the males that had shown interest in her. He had also sworn to wait for her when she had been called to work during mating season.
    “I hope I have someone waiting. I have been away from home for five months.” She scowled and ran her hands through her hair. The latest dye job was going to need a touch up soon.
    “Well, you are good to go.” He finished the fuel fill and disconnected the hose with deliberate care.
    “Excellent. I will be off for a few months, so Eigar will be doing the flights to the nursing stations. Behave.” She winked at him and checked to make sure that the shipment of blood and other samples were securely strapped down in their coolers.
    Venny waved to Tomas as she settled in her seat and finished the pre-flight checks. One drop and she was finally going home.
     
    Kevin answered the door in a towel and looked startled to see her. “Venny! You are home…that’s great.”
    She smelled the other woman the moment the door finished opening. “You broke your oath, Kevin. That is going to cost you.” Venny turned and walked to the elevator and kept her self-control until she was in her car and six blocks away. Tears started to flow, and she pulled over near a park, walking into the wooded area before she dropped to her knees and sobbed.
    One chance, she had one chance at a male, and she blew it. No one in her community wanted an albino. She was a beacon for hunters in the summer and invisible in the winter. Her red eyes were considered freaky, and her other form could not wear the contact lenses that she put in every morning.
    Venny sobbed and wailed. It was early enough that she only disturbed a few joggers, one of which stopped to check on her.
    The woman smelled of magic and had a decidedly friendly gleam in her eye. “Are you all right?”
    “No. I don’t think I am.”
    “Is there someone I can call to help you?” Venny sniffled and got to her feet. “No. I have to make a few calls, but it will be better to do it in the privacy of my car.”
    The woman frowned. “You shouldn’t be driving in your condition.”
    “I will be fine. I just needed to get into the wild for a few minutes.”
    The woman touched her arm. “A deer?” Venny blinked in surprise. “Sort of.” The woman laughed. “How can you be sort of a deer?”
    “I am a reindeer. I look like a goat crossed with a moose.” She twisted her lips.
    “You are very rare in this part of the world.”
    “That I am. It is why not having a mate is such a big deal. My promised mate is shacked up with my cousin.” She blurted her shame out to this stranger, and it felt so good to get it out.
    The woman flicked her fingers and a business card appeared. “Here. Call this if you need a lift after you run out of options. My price is hair from you and two relatives. Give me a call.” Venny smiled and wiped at her face. “Thank you.” She read the card, “Krisia.” The woman winked. “Call me Kris.” Without another word, the jogger disappeared.
    Venny walked back to her car with the card tucked into her bra. Inside her vehicle, she called the local Herd Master. “Hello, Master Pierce.”
    “Venny, you are home. Congratulations. How can I help you?” His rich tones rolled over her ears.
    “I need to speak to the shaman.”
    “What is wrong?”
    She was bluntly honest. “Kevin is no longer willing, and my time is coming. I need to find a mate fast.”
    Silence fell on the other side of the line. “He was promised to you?”
    “Of course. You knew that. We even went through the