Anessa is self-sufficient, bright, reasonably attractive and works at a spell-supply shop. She negotiates with shifters for their saleable goods and sells those same parts to mages on a daily basis. When a fey walks in to purchase some fur, she finds out that touching him will send a shock through her hand. One year later, he returns with startling information for her. She is a shifter, and he has found a tutor for her to help her find out what she is. It turns out that she is a lioness, and once she is comfortable with her beast, it makes its own demands. In heat, she has the choice of the pride or the Crossroads, and she decides to take her chances with her own luck amongst strangers. A familiar fey face is more than welcome.