Stallion Shifters for Christmas

Tuesday holiday howls and yowls, shapeshifter lovers.

First, a big howliday THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by during The Jingle Bell Hop!

Next, a promo moment. I just Indie-published my first book, a short shapeshifter erotic romance, SANTA BABY, SEVERAL STARS AWAY. Currently, it's available at Smashword and Amazon for the popular price of 99 cents. In the near future I hope to have it available at AllRomanceEbooks and BookStrand, as well.

Kaily and Dylan's love story does not take place in Talbot's Peak because it was written as a serial holiday flash before ShapeShifter Seductions came roaring into existence. However, the setting is a small town.

Consumed by curiosity, Kaily gives herself to a mystery man for Christmas. Will Dylan be able to resist her waiting naked, but gift-wrapped beneath his tree?
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Stallion Shifters for Christmas

"Whinny, whinny," Dash answered the stable's phone. Merry rolled a disapproving eye at him -- the very reason he'd done it. Later he would give her a spirited ride to make up for his stud ornery ways -- as she phrased it.

Dash flicked his inner horse tail as he checked out caller ID. "Yeah, what are you huntin' for?" He'd stressed 'hunting' since Zance was a wolf shifter. "By the way, never did buy you that tankard of Dante's finest ale for chasing off the pack hanging around the back pasture. Knew they weren't any of the locals."

"Nope. Not why I contacted. Got a situation here, and a favor to ask." Zance didn't take even take a breath, and Dash heard the near desperation in his rumble-raspy voice.

"Yeah, owe ya. What is it?"

"Sherilyn, one of the human ranchers. She got hurt real bad. Saved her, and me and Dontoya are carin' for her. But, she's got some extra fancy horses..."

"Seen 'em," Dash interrupted. "For a human she knows how to breed equines, bring out the best qualities. Hurt, did you say?"

"The Brady bunch. Damn apes were driving wild in the snowstorm, and plowed into her truck. She was fixin' the fence. Got hit by her truck."

Dash waved Merry off as she headed toward him like a mare about to nose her way into the center of the herd. "Explain later," he mouthed to her, then ignored her frown. "You said you saved her."

"The magic wolf juice, yeah. Thing is, me and Dontoya are short on ranch hands. Thought you might know a couple of reliable, in the know dudes who get along with shifters, and are fond of horses. Got good accommodations for 'em, and like always we pay well."

Dash grinned wider than when his Merry made his favorite oatmeal and molasses cookies. "They say this is the season for miracles, wolf man. How about stallion shifters for Christmas instead of that ale I owe ya? Got a couple buddies new in town. They're likin' the looks of Talbot's Peak. We'd hire Catcher and Diamond on here, but we got enough staff, even with the Sleigh Ride festival coming up."

"Doubt that son of a tigress bitch, Ravi, will be showing his human face at your Sleigh festival. Not after his 'fall' from grace. Never laughed so hard on Halloween in my life. Me and Donny-cat nearly busted a gut. That stud of yours came to a dead stop right next to the 'ghost' mare... nearly unseatin' that Yakuza scat. He was clinging to the saddle horn like a greenhorn. A few stiff-legged bucks later, he was flying through the air, good and high. Me and Dontoya thought he'd been thrown off the cliff's edge, and good dang riddance... but that tiger boy came crawlin', scrabblin' and scratchin' back over the edge with those giant claws of his. He looked like a crazy-eyed cartoon character, I swear."

Dash would've neighed a huge horse laugh right then and there... except for the gravity of Zance's situation. He and Merry could laugh their asses off later. "We were wonderin' what happened, especially 'cause Rachael never whinnied a word. Unlike my sis. But since we saw Ravi slinking 'round town afterward, and with no retribution from Shere Khan we figured we were off the hook."

"Thought your sis would've told you she... dang it, not for me to say the particulars." Zance took a large breath. "Your stallion shoulda returned real happy, though."

"I'm gonna have a horse chat with him later. Right now, I'll get a hold of Diamond and Catcher. Want me to send 'em directly to the ranch, or have 'em contact you first?"

"Send them to the ranch. Me and Dontoya ain't goin' nowhere. We already had Roy and his crew trailer Sherilyn's horses and bring them here."

"Roy's one of the best wranglers. He could sweet talk the scaredest mustang into lettin' him mount up. Yeah, I'll jump to it. Snort at ya later."

With Merry headed toward him, her no-nonsense gaze demanding answers, Dash rapidly punched in Diamond's number, and hoped like hell his two buddies from days gone 'far' by weren't nursing hangovers, or nursing on some woman's naked teats -- being the rutting studs they were.

***

"My name is Black Diamond." Hat in hand, he introduced himself to the woman nervously casting her glance over Talbot's Peak's town square. The moment he'd caught sight of the wild-maned beauty, his heart had given a mighty thump of appreciation, and he'd wanted to gallop toward her, his inner tail held high, his neck arched. Diamond settled for, "May I be of assistance?"

She swept her gaze over his face, wary as a mare who wanted nothing to do with a stallion. "I think I might be lost," she shyly began. "Is that fountain really a dog dish? I mean...I don't think I'm supposed to be here. I think the GPS isn't working right... oh," she moaned softly, her distress obvious.

"Where were you supposed to be? This is Talbot's Peak. And to answer your question. Yep, ma'am, that is a dog dish. Quite a whimsical sense of humor in this town. Only been here a couple of weeks myself."

Hugging herself against the cold blast of wind, the woman regarded him again, her unusual golden-colored eyes with their jewel-green flecks invited him to dive right in, and stay. That surprised the oats out of Diamond.

"I lost my job recently... and, well, you know how it is... the bad economic times and all." When her corkscrew curls, the color of rich cinnamon, danced wildly in the wind, she shook them out of her face, and continued. "My girlfriend said there was a job... at a new place opening called the Midnight Stardust... she was supposed to meet me... she didn't say anything about a giant dog bowl..."

"The Midnight Stardust?" Diamond heard his pardner, Catcher, drawl like a Texan. At least, it was true to his heritage.

***

"Name is Catcher, ma'am, Dream Catcher."

"Your parents named you Dream Catcher?" The human filly who had put a gleam in his eye, one that hadn't been there for several years now, startled, and jumped a few steps back. Her tone had been icy and disbelieving.

Catcher halted in his tracks, not blaming her a bit. He swept his Stetson before him, then bowed at the waist yet never took his gaze off her lovely, heart-shaped face. After straightening, he explained, "A man can't go around being called Dream. Sort of like Sue in the Johnny Cash song."

She gave a tiny nervous giggle, then shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her sheepskin jacket -- obviously not a hit with the bighorn sheep shifters in town. "Who would name their son, Dream?"

"It was 'cause my mother moved to Texas, and was livin' her dream. She calls my father her dream come true. And I was her other dream come true."

"Oh." The purse of her dainty but full lips had Catcher straining forward, and all but nuzzling her. With a tilt of her head she studied them both for several moments. "You two know each other, right?"

"Partners," Diamond answered. "We're partners. We watch each other's backs, you could say."

Her gaze intense, she murmured, "Drifters." The wind almost carried the sound away. "My mother warned me about men like you." She paused searching their faces. Her eyes suddenly glowed, mesmerizing Catcher "You can ride 'em, but you can't rope 'em," she sang.

"Some men you don't need to rope." Catcher spoke a long moment later, noticing his drawl was more pronounced, and not 'cause he'd done it intentionally.

"Or bridle," Diamond added. "Some of us like running with the wind, and with the right woman."

"Some of us like being ridden bareback," Catcher rasped. "How about some coffee, ma'am?" he asked to cover his surging, stomping lust. "There's a shop close by."

"Don't keep calling me 'ma'am'. I mean, it's sort of nice, in a way. But..." she hesitated, her gaze swinging from one to the other of them, "I'm Serenity."

"It's right nippy out here, Serenity." Diamond took one step toward her. Her shoulders tightened in response, but she didn't retreat.

Instead, she ran her gaze up and down them both. When she finally raised her face, a small flirtatious smile curved her lips.

"We can keep an eye out for your friend from the coffee shop," Diamond continued speaking. From the corner of his eye, Catcher watched his pardner shake his sable mane just like he did when he was in horse form, and courtin' a mare shifter.

"You know what? You two remind me of the prize stallions my father raised when..." Her voice trailed away, and her eyes shadowed.

"Nothin' like a fine riding horse between your thighs." Damn his big neighing mouth... and his big lump of a cock. Catcher clamped his mouth shut fast, knowing he'd gone too far, said the wrong thing.

"Serenity," a feminine voice hailed from across the way. "Sorry I'm late. It's this mile-high, stupid snow."

With a sassy toss of her head, her hair flying free and wild, Serenity paused before she left them. Catcher watched her eyes sparkle with a mischievous light.

"I always wanted a stallion for Christmas." After a quick smile at them both, she turned like a ballet dancer, and trotted toward her friend.

"Two stallions for Christmas," Diamond whispered only for Catcher's hearing.
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Have a Magickal and Shapeshifting Holiday Season...

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~
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