Wanted Immediately: A bride. Must love cats, dogs, and dragons.

Tuesday howls and yowls, shapeshifter lovers.

Happy upcoming New Moon in Aries on April 10th. Get your motor running on those projects you want to begin, or a project you want to put into high gear. Now is the time.

Some good authorly news. HER MIDNIGHT STARDUST COWBOYS received a 5-star reader review at All Romance Ebooks. Wahoo! If you'd like to check out a couple of excerpts, just click on my page above.

This week's flash scene is Muse-lovingly inspired, but certainly not complete. Still, I hope you enjoy.   
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Wanted Immediately: A bride. Must love cats, dogs, and dragons.

Kiala settled herself, and raised the steamy, raspberry latte to her mouth. Figuring to amuse herself, she shook open the latest edition of the G&B Gazette left by the previous occupier of the table.

After a satisfying sip of the hot sumptuous brew, Kiala scanned the articles, then immersed herself in the latest and greatest news. "What happened to White Fang's usual byline?" she murmured to herself.

"What the..." she muttered minutes later. "Why is Leona Lane now Leona Sanchez?" Puzzled, she knitted her brow, and shook her head briefly. "Whatever."

"Is there a problem?" Marissa asked, on her way from serving another table.

"No. Thanks for asking, though. Just changes in the paper," Kiala added to explain.

"Yeah, I noticed. I hear there's a betting pool at Rattigans over what White Fang's handle is going to be."

Kiala grinned at that, yet didn't understand why the ace crime reporter had decided to change his name. Oh well, she'd find out eventually.

"Croissants today?" Marissa asked.

"Absolutely. And one of your blueberry muffins, please."

With a nod the blue-haired owner of the coffee shop departed, and Kiala heard her  motherly shout at Thor and Loki. The following crash of dishes clued her in, but by the sound there'd only been a few. This time.

Smiling at the homey event, Kiala stretched her legs, able to move normally again. While exploring a "Land Time Forgot" plateau in South America, as her leopard self, she'd been severely mauled by several small dinosaurs.

She'd needed a place to recuperate. So, about a year ago, Kiala had scoped out the shapeshifter town of Talbot's Peak. Using the money she'd put away for the proverbial rainy day, she'd made the move, and laid low.

A cadre of enemies stalked her even now, given the wealth of knowledge she'd gathered from her various explorations. Her benefactors, those who funded her adventures, and gained bigtime by her discoveries, had made certain she'd been well taken care of, initially. Very well taken care of.

However, Kiala had cut her ties with her benefactors. At least, for the time being. She could too easily be traced.

Sipping her latte, Kiala flipped to the personal ads, always good for a giggle, even a rib-tickling laugh. Her eyes popped wide as she read...

Wanted Immediately: A bride. Must love cats, dogs, and dragons. Humans need not apply.

After staring for several moments, her latte held at half-mast, she uttered quietly, "Is this serious?"

Right, then... stranger things had happened in this supernatural bestiary community, as she thought of it. That is, if Kiala could believe half of what she'd been told. And, not to mention all the rumors swirling madly and merrily about.

But, yowls! Yes, there was a valid contact number.

And, bride... it dawned on Kiala, she was due to come in heat within a couple of weeks. Instead of clawing and climbing the walls, instead of flattening her ears against her needy screams... she could be... well, mating, being mated.

With a toss of her shoulder-length hair, Kiala decided to amuse herself. "Love cats, of course," she whispered. "Dogs, only if they 'come' when called. And dragons... well, I've known a few sexy fire-snorters."

Kiala automatically drank the last swallow of her latte, and placed the cup on the table. "And, hey, the good news, I'm not exactly human... am I?"

"Why is that good news?" Loki asked, as he set the plate of bakery yummies before her.

Snapping her gaze around to the young wolf shifter, Kiala tilted her head, and quipped, "Because according to this ad, humans need not apply."

"That's right," a bold baritone voice from the coffee shop's doorway addressed her. 

Kiala allowed her gaze to prey on the tall, warrior male now approaching her. Cat shapeshifter, her nose told her. Yet, his breed was not of this Earth.

According to his scent, the closest species would be an ancestor of the Puma, still alive in small groups across the planet -- as she'd sighted for herself.

"Miss...?" he rumbled politely. His eyes blazed through her, and Kiala thought of the supernaturally bright amber she'd discovered in an ancient storage cavern.

"You are?" she returned, remembering to make her tongue work. Damn, if she had to keep looking up at him, she'd get a permanent crook in her neck.

"Dhurkon," he paused, "of the Triad Protectorate."

"Protectorate," she slowly repeated. "What does that mean? It sounds official." Kiala waved her hand. "Please, have a seat."

Almost faster than she could blink, Dhurkon lowered himself, taking possession of the chair opposite her. "Yes, it is an official title, beautiful leopardess woman. However, these days it is a remnant of my past."

His eyes glinted as his mouth curved in a small smile. "May I know your name?"

So, he knew her kind. Not surprising, given his ultra keen senses, and the sharp intelligence she witnessed in his eyes.

"Kiala," she offered, even as his hand reached for hers.

Embraced, that was the only description she could think of, as he wrapped her hand with his, and held.

"I'm assuming this is your personal ad. I mean, 'humans need not apply'."

He didn't let go, and Kiala didn't try to withdraw her 'swooning' hand.

"Yes, my ad. I will assume you are not married, or mated."

"No," the word burst out. "Must love cats, dogs, and dragons." Kiala raised her brows in question.

"Do you?" His tone gently teased. Yet the undercurrent could have dragged a whale down to the ocean depths.

Well, two could play this game, Kiala decided. "Love as in loving animals? Or, love as in loving shapeshifter cats, dogs, and dragons?"

"I believe..." His gaze roved over her face, and he seemed to drink of her very essence. "...we are about to find out, my leopardess." 

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Wishing you shapeshifting love on the wild side… 

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~