Zader’s Menagerie
The right wolf will make this cat howl at the
moon.
Zader
Montana is Sovereign Kind, a mountain lion infected with vampyre blood. He
refuses to
embrace his undead half, the part of him that prowls the night
looking for the she-wolf he desires. His problem -- she’s mated to the alpha of
the wolf pack sharing his mountaintop.
Skye
wants a taste of the cat who trails her every night. Convincing her mate to let
her have a bite won’t be a big deal. The wolves are infected with the blood
curse too, and they’re not finicky. Skye’s willing to be shared by both leaders
as long as she gets what she wants.
Excerpt:
Skye had
stayed in her wolf, enjoyed walking through the quiet forest. Where was Leaf,
and why hadn’t he come to her? A slow throb started at the top of her head,
made her eyes water, her nose run. What now?
A sound to
her left caught her attention, but too late. A wiry cheetah came into view,
spittle dripping from its fangs. Damn it to hell, she should have paid
attention to her surroundings. Then she heard it—a howl that sounded like it
came from the bowels of the earth. Leaf.
The big wolf
flashed in front of her, tail high and swishing in agitation. Cat got your
tongue, baby?
Leaf… She watched as the thick fur receded and he
stood naked and tall in the form of his vampyre. His eyes glared red, his fangs
were long and deadly.
“I’ve been
with you the whole time.”
Pulling her
wolf back, she stood beside him, her eyes pinned on the deadly transgressor in
front of them. “I didn’t feel you.” But she felt Zader.
“Skye, I
need to tell you something.”
Before he
could finish the animal lunged, taking a swipe across Leaf’s chest. Blood
bubbled from the wound which could kill even the strongest Kind. It was one
reason she and Leaf should have remained in their animals.
“And the
other reason is why we don’t use our Balkan cousins’ power to kill them. They
deserve to die with respect because many of them were Reign warriors, and they
are what we all should have remained. Animals, beasts, that should have lived
and died in the wild.”
Zader’s eyes
glared red from across the clearing before he released his cat. The tan fur
barely covered his torso before his paws slapped the ground. He growled,
circling the spotted cat.
Skye quickly
changed into her wolf, prepared to fight alongside the cat that belonged to
her, just as she had planned to do with Leaf. Before she reached Zader, he’d
pounced on the wiry animal. Cries split the night as his cougar latched onto
the thinner cat’s neck, delivering a vicious bite to the jugular. The cheetah
fell to its side, gasping for air. With quickness unknown to normal animals,
Zader’s beast ripped into the belly, disemboweling the transgressor and putting
it out of its misery.
Leaf had
slumped down against a tree trunk, blood flowing freely from the gouges. Skye’s
wolf rushed to his side and licked at the wounds to heal them. He’d need strong
blood, and she hadn’t taken any. Turning, she saw that Zader had regained his
man form, and watched them from across the clearing. Taking her animal inside
her body, she sat next to Leaf. “Zader?” He wouldn’t deny her, but would Leaf
want a cat’s blood?
“Does he
want to live?” He’d do anything to make Skye happy, even share his blood.
Leaf raised
his head and stared at Zader. “Yes.” A small smile curved his lips, “Just don’t
give me too much or I’ll kill you.”
She watched
Zader move closer with a gleam in his eyes. “You’d die trying, bastard.” He
stooped down and bared his wrist to Leaf. “Take too much and there might be a
definite improvement in your scraggly ass.” His head tilted. “Who the hell
holds a conversation while there’s a transgressor not ten feet away?”
Finished
taking sustenance, Leaf sighed. “Was pretty damn stupid, huh?”
“We’ve both
got something to live for now.”
“Guess
you’re right.”
There was a
new respect for each other in their words, but Skye sensed sadness in Leaf that
she didn’t understand. And there was a definite difference in the way Zader acted.
His eyes were filled with wildness, a certain abandonment. The scent of anger
mixed with fear of the wolves was totally absent from the cat.
Zader did
something she wouldn’t have thought him capable of—they were all clothed by him
and transported to his house. Only a very strong vamp could perform that feat.
How long had he been taking the blood again to have such strength?
Settling
Leaf into a guest room, she and Zader went to rest by the fire. “You respect
him now?”
“Always did.
I respect, even more, that he would have done anything to save you.”
“He’s not as
uncaring or mean as he sometimes appears.”
“I know
that. As a leader, I understand we have to do things others don’t like.”
“There’s
something… different about you.” She moved to his side, ran her fingers over
his chest. “Something that makes me want you even more.” Zader removed their
clothing with a thought.
“Something
that makes you want me with your alpha under the same roof?”
“Maybe it’s
because he’s here.” Continuing to stroke his face, play in his hair, she moved
one hand to his crotch. His cock was swollen, the tip wet with pre-cum. “You
seem stronger, more settled into the idea of being with us.”
“Skye, part
of you is mine, and taking that doesn’t trample what belongs to Leaf.” His head
bent, cool lips brushed her brow. “I’d never stop you from having anything you
love.”
He nudged
his tongue between her lips, delved deep into her mouth, proving how much he
wanted her. She felt his hands cup her breasts, squeeze her taut, painfully
engorged nipples. Skye arched into him, her body asking for more. Before she
could say it, they were in his bed, Zader beneath her. Pulling her head away,
she said, “Take me, take what’s yours.”
Skye gloried
in the feel of his large hands caressing her back, covering her ass to nudge
her closer. “That’s exactly what I intend to do.” His whispered words were rife
with desire.
“She’s mine
too, cat.”
Leaf!
Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out. - J. Hali Steele
