Free Stripes of Fury by Zenina Masters Page B

was the last time that she went drinking with her father. He had a far greater tolerance for hard liquor than she did.
    “Well, thank goodness you are awake. I was a little worried.” A blue woman was sitting at her bedside with an amused expression.
    “Where am I?” It was trite, but she had no idea where she was or how she had gotten here. Nika rubbed her face and pulled her fingers through her hair.
    “You are at the Crossroads.”
    Nika froze. “The Crossroads?”
    Her mother had been mentioning it as an option for a mate for the last five years. Nika didn’t want to leave her mom in the lurch while she pursued a mate. She made do with a long string of one-night stands.
    “How did I get here?”
    The woman lifted a letter. “ Dear Nika, last night you agreed to try the Crossroads for four days. I am helping your mother at the farm and you don’t need to worry about anything. Enjoy yourself, find a mate and come home to introduce him to your mother. Love, Frennin. ”
    Nika didn’t remember agreeing to come to the Crossroads, but she could deal with four days.
    She sat up and looked around, trying to remember her conversation with Frennin. Having him ask to join her in the evening was odd, but it had seemed rude to reject him.
    “I am not trying to be rude, but who are you?”
    “Oh, I am Teebie. I am the proprietor of the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast. The note on your account says that you are a mix of fey and shifter?”
    Nika wrinkled her nose. “Sort of. My mother was in horse form and my father was in horse form, and they got together. She got pregnant and was stuck as a horse, and he didn’t know she was a shifter. When she had me, she was finally able to get back to her human form. Apparently, she had to hide my shifted form from my family.”
    Nika looked down, made sure that she was wearing something, and threw back the covers to head for the table where a pitcher of water waited for her. She was exceedingly thirsty.
    “So, you have a blend of active energies?”
    “Oh yeah. I crackle with it. I can’t even blend in with the animals. They freak out and run. I have to be with them as a human, which is fine but a little restricting.”
    “May I know what your beast is?”
    Nika grinned. “I am a zebra. I am stocky, fast, make a weird noise when I call and oh, yeah, I glow.”
    Teebie blinked. “Zebra. Right. Well, here is the Crossroads briefing.”
    Nika listened as Teebie ran through the clothing options she could find at the general store. The food options that were available and the Crossed Star Bar.
    Nika nodded and asked questions before getting to her feet again and looking for the bag that Teebie had mentioned. She had one set of street clothes and shoes that she quickly climbed into.
    Teebie left her alone, and Nika went to the bathroom and wrestled her hair into a thick braid. She wished that she had her mother’s blonde hair, but she was stuck with Frennin’s dark locks. With her dark eyes, it made her look mysterious, which was better than hung over.
    She brushed her teeth with the equipment in the amenity kit and made sure that she smelled appropriate. She didn’t want to wear these clothes out during the evening, so she was going to take a shower after she had finished shopping.
    Teebie met her in the lobby and tied a charm on her wrist. Nika would use it to pay for anything she wanted, and it would all be on the fey account.
    The streets were full of people who were relaxed and smiling. A few of the men smiled at her and nodded, but she wasn’t in heat, so she wasn’t going to pursue them without any courtship on their part. Since she was here, she was at least going to play along with the idea of looking for a mate.
    Her shopping trip took about an hour, and she managed to score several dresses, some new underwear and a stash of chocolate for her room.
    She headed back to her room and showered, blow dried her hair and dressed for light flirtation. If they wanted to play, she