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.
ZADER'S MENAGERIE
It had grown dark, the moon crested the tree tops, and the only thing Zader heard was another melancholy howl echo across the mountain as he licked and closed the tiny pricks. Soon the eerie sound became a chorus as more wolves joined. Feeling their leader's anger and dismay, they cried out with him. Biting her was the last thing he wanted to do, but Skye was so sweet, he got carried away. Damn it, afraid of how it would make him feel, he hadn't planned on taking her blood.
He didn't want to know what she shared with Leaf, Zader didn't think he could stand it when she was with him. The bloodsucking creature he was needed to taste her completely, claim her as his. Surprised anguish raced with the blood in his veins. No way was he sharing his life force, and giving Skye's mate access to his deepest thoughts. It would never, ever, happen. Yet the raw pain heard in the plaintive howl seconds ago told him there would be hell to pay for what he'd done. Leaf expected to know him in the same way. Zader felt it through the woman beneath him, didn't blame the animal one bit.
What now?
It couldn't be undone, there was no way to take it back. His cat pranced inside, yet seemed calmer in its knowledge of the woman who lay so still under him. Her mental path was open, but there was a dark spot, a place he was unable to enter. For a brief moment, Zader forgot about Leaf. No thread of Skye should ever be closed from him. This was his mate, seeing, knowing all of her was part of mating. More, if he took more blood, she'd open up to him totally. He leaned toward her, flicked his tongue across her nipple, prepared to bite again.
Skye shoved him from her. "Zader, no… no!" Fear, or confusion blazed in her red eyes. "Leaf will kill you."
"I'm not afraid of him." She struggled to close off her thoughts, keep them to herself, but to no avail. Anger pulsed in waves through her mind as Leaf's rage boiled over. "Skye, I want to give you every part of me, but not that, I won't let him into my mind, I can't."
This was his mate, she should be all his. Alone. It was unimaginable to stand by and feel her pain, the abnormal fear she had of the wolf. Odd because a wolf would never hurt its mate, even the vamp side would protect her at its own peril. Zader didn't like what he felt one bit. Pushing with all his might into her mental path, he slammed the misery and pain from her, sent it with even more force back at the wolf.
Don't ever hurt her for what I do. I'm here, come for me.
The night lit up with howls from every crevice of the mountaintop.
One stood out above them all. Leaf.
May 27th from Changeling Press
Are you THIRSTY yet?
Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.-© J. Hali Steele
