Worlds colide... sort of.

I think my muse needs some prozac or something. I sat down tow write a sequal to last week's post. This is what came out instead. It's quite a bit longer than my usual posts. I hope you like it!

**********

“I know druidry requires a familiarity with nature, Uncle, but I really don’t know. Taking Shainnon and Ayden for a human style camping trip seems less about nature and more about insanity,” grumped Kincaid. “Surely there are other ways to teach that pair of hellions how to fit in to the human culture than a camping trip. The last time Shainnon went amongst them, it took two black lords to get him out of trouble.”

“Pshaw! The pups will be fine! I keep up with them and I’m more than three hundred years old. You can’t tell me a lad of only one thirty-five can’t do it,” Auld Domhnal harrumphed. Auld Domhnal, as everyone called him, was actually Kincaid’s many times great uncle. He’d live on a little island off the coast of Scotland for much longer than a normal human should have been alive, but then, they weren’t human.

They were true druids, a race of human-like creatures created by the Morrigan as mortal servants. They were more closely related to shifters than humans, though they physically looked like humans. Most of their kind lived in Annwn, a realm humans thought was the Celtic Underworld. It was a realm of existence that was used as a place to live where the Unseely would leave the inhabitants alone. The Cu of Annwn were the reason the Unseely left the realm alone.

Kincaid and Domhnal were of the scholar sect. The pups, Shainnon and Ayden, were of the guardian sect, though only Ayden could shift easily into the Cu form their kind were renowned for, giant pure white wolfhounds the size and Irish wolfhounds with blood red skin around the eyes and inner ears. True hounds of Annwn look much the same but were the size of Scottish deerhounds without the gruesome ears and eyes.

“Come now, Caid,” his uncle cajoled, using his childhood nickname. “It was not Shainnon’s fault an hunting party became obsessed with him. The Lon Chaney National Forest a good place for the pups to learn how to act around humans and the humans in that area are somewhat comfortable with our kind so as not to panic at the sight of druid pups acting odd. I’m getting too old to take them into high mountains. That thin, cold air in hard on my old lungs and wings.”

He shook his head in resignation.

“I’ll take them, Uncle, but I won’t promise to enjoy it.”

*********

“Shainnon, I believe you are supposed to blow the fire out before eating charred marshmallows,” Kincaid commented dryly. The scamp grinned up at him, whitish black goo squishing out from between his teeth. Caid just got his eyes closed before Ayden blinded them all with the disposable camera he just had to have taking by taking a picture of the spectacle. Why had he agreed to take these two camping again?

The day had started out well enough. Caid picked the boys up from his uncle’s house in Gairloch that morning. Uncle had moved from that wind scoured island in the bay after taking the duo from hell as apprentices so they could have human children to socialize with. They realm jumped to Great Falls International Airport so they could rent an SUV, then headed toward the mountains. It didn’t start getting complicated till they stopped for lunch and supplies outside Talbot‘s Peak.

Bless the proprietor’s heart, the moment the Ayden mentioned they were going camping, she began talking fondly of her own childhood camping trips. Toasting marshmallows, making s’mores, fishing--everything she talked about, the boys wanted to do, too. Druid Cu pups fishing with poles had not turned out to be a good idea, at least not with these two. The humans had reacted to seeing the boys trying eat the bait better than he‘d expected them to. At least Shainnon hadn’t found worms tasty. Caid wasn’t sure Ayden had been all that disgusted by the wiggly snack, though.

“But Caid!” Ayden cried. “The fish eat the worms. We eat the fish. So we are eating worms anyway!”

“We don’t eat the fish while they are still alive,” Caid drawled.

“We just wanted to see why the fish like them,” Shainnon stated mater-of-factly. “But then again, fish eat other fish while they are still alive. Maybe we should try cooking the worms first.”

“Or maybe try eating the fish still alive!” Ayden had declared. “Caid, didn’t you buy some minnows at the bait shop?”

Caid shook his head at the memory. That was about the time the men started laughing and the women started gagging. The rest of the afternoon had passed with amused old men teaching Caid and the boys the right way to fish for lake trout and filling the boys’ heads with how they’d gotten into mischief as children. The women had all left to go shopping for gods only knew what; he’d heard them mention some shop over called Fur and Feather Finery.

“Caid! Tell us a ghost story! Those men said you are supposed to tell us ghost stories around the camp fire while we roast marshmallows!” Ayden half screamed.

“No,” Caid muttered. “You’re already over stimulated. How about a romp in the woods to burn off some of that sugar?”

“That one old man said that cougars eat little children that wonder away from camp at night,” Shainnon commented.

“I think you will be fine,” Caid reassured. “We are here to teach you hellions about high mountain ecology and there’s quite a bit of the ecology that is nocturnal only.”

“Like cougars,” Shainnon added on, stubbornly. “Can we explore as hounds?”

“How would you ask me any questions or comment on what you see in hound form?” Caid answered in the monotone he’d slowly developed since picking them up that morning.

“Can we shift into hound form if something tries to eat us?” Ayden shrilled. Caid rubbed his forehead with thumb and fore finger, trying to stave off the headache he could feel building.

“Aye, if something tries to eat you, you can shift. Let’s get the fire banked.”

**********

Like fishing, trying to teach Shainnon and Ayden about the nocturnal life of the American Rocky Mountains turned out to easier planned than executed. They’d managed to scare off every fox, mouse, and raccoon for fifty miles. Apparently Ayden couldn’t tell a bat hunting bugs from “something trying to eat him.” It was interesting to know that a Cu pup could jump high enough to almost catch one, though.

**********

Oh, wow, Jen thought as she watched the trio from the ledge high above them. She didn’t have a clue what they were- she’d never heard of dog shifters- but that rambunctious youngling had a jump worthy of an Olympic athlete! Good thing Band was faster!

Jen had been enjoying a solitary meal of freshly caught rabbit when she’d heard them coming from some distance. The adult had been trying in vain to school the younglings in native animals and failing miserably. They were simply too excited to pay attention to learning. Not that she blamed them; there was something deeply invigorating about a nocturnal romp in these mountains.

Her meal forgotten, Jen had been following the odd group for the last hour or so and was becoming rather impressed by the big male’s knowledge of the forest and it’s inhabitants. Once he’d given up on a formal lesson, he began making headway in teaching the young ones about identifying animals using old scent trails and droppings. I wonder how they’ll do with a fresh trail? she thought to herself. She was vaguely uneasy about it, but figured her beast form- a cougar- should be more than up to the task of out smarting a pair of pups.

**********

Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea! Crap, they’re fast!

Wolf-Lion Man

Tuesday yowls and howls, shapeshifter lovers.

Yes, they’re here. The edits for KANDY APPLE AND HER HELLHOUNDS. It’s been a quagmire and a half just to get the files to open for this go round. No, I won’t go into the gory details. Suffice it say, I don’t like Word, and I’m paying for it by having to use one file to see the corrections, and another file to view the comments.

The good news, so far, is that the edits have been minor. Will it hold? Who knows, I’m going page by page. Yep, for the foreseeable future, I’ll be deep in the editing cave.
~~~~~~

Wolf-Lion Man

Lily sauntered into town. She’d prepared for the long trek by gorging herself on a crop of tasty mushrooms. With her pace slow but steady, she followed the beast-roar of Stephanos’ Harley.

He had just passed her by, unaware of her presence. Granted she was small, and the mind-greeting she’d sent him had been quick, and not strong.

Curious to know why the Guardian rode with a human woman, Lily decided to find out before investigating Talbot’s Peak as her tortoise self. Nobody’s fool, she stayed beneath the foliage, and avoided the sidewalk.

Since Stephanos slowed to a crawl, and wheeled toward a parking spot, Lily angled to intercept him. Making good use of a parked car, she stretched her neck and put on the jets.

Pausing next to a tire, she peeked around it to make certain no one would impede her dash toward Stephanos. As Lily scrabbled onto the sidewalk, the smell of brewing coffee hit her full force.

***

I stare at the large box turtle now staring at us. By us, I mean me and the stud biker who has lifted me from Razorback, and is now dismounting behind me. He keeps hold of my arm.

Dare I say, or even dare to think his touch feels darn possessive?

I blink, and bend down a bit, curious. Plus, I’ve always had a strange fondness for turtles. In the back of my memory, I recall male box turtles have red eyes. Okay, this is a girl.

Not understanding why this extra large box turtle isn’t heading for safety somewhere else, I want to shoo her toward some nearby bushes. “Cute turtle,” I mutter. “I mean tortoise.”

When Mr. Unbelievably Sexy drapes his arm around my shoulders, I point, even though my hormones are take-me crazy.

“Lily, what are you doing here?”

Lily? Despite the fact that he’s talking to a turtle like she’s a good friend, his purring rumble is juicing that part of me that should never be interested in what that part of me wants. Hot sweaty sex.

Ohgawd.

“Lily?” I squeak because my throat is so tight.

“Yeah, I recognize her. She’s my yard turtle because she visits so often. I have a place about ten miles outside of town, as the crow flies.”

“Lily’s traveled quite a ways.” The turtle appears to give me an appraising look, which I return.

“Yeah, not smart.” With a lithe fast movement, he scoops Lily up. Damn, his hand looks large and fine wrapped around Ms. Extra Large Box Turtle.

Wrapped around me... well hell, once again, I’m plagued by erotic images of him, and what I want him to do to me. What I want --

“Stephanos!” The barking shout from across the street halts my too raunchy imaginings. Fortunately.

“Devon, you’re leaving. We’re heading inside.”

“Got a hot date. And we’re late. “Werewolves on Wheels” is playing at the Full Moon Theater,” the preppy-handsome man hollers, and gives a wave.

The gorgeous Asian woman beside him eyes me like a tigress who is deciding whether I’m worthy of being her prey. I shiver, and Stephanos pulls me tighter against his side. Good lord, what does he eat? Raw steak for breakfast. His thighs are so strong with muscle, I tremble with more unbridled desire. Also disbelief.

“We’ll catch the flick soon,” Stephanos calls back.

We? Somehow, I don’t think he means him and Lily.

“Cold?” He turns toward me.

Wondering at the intimacy of his gaze, I numbly dumbly shake my head ‘no’.

“I guess Lily will be joining us for coffee.” He lifts the box turtle to eye level. “Can’t have her wandering around town. I hear turtle soup is on the menu.”

Lily shrinks inside her shell, but peers out at him.

“Hey, wolf-lion man, what are you doin’ in town? Heard you were headed up to the bike rally.”

As if he’s run headlong into a wall, the biker dude approaching us stops. His gaze swings to me, and I feel like I’m suddenly being burned at some invisible stake.

I avert my gaze, instinctively shrinking into my shell. Stephanos gently hugs my shoulders, then urges me forward. My feet cooperate, and we move inside the coffee shop. I don’t mind saying, it’s a huge relief to see a welcoming smile on the face of a young woman with artistically arranged blue hair.
~~~~~~

Happy Sun in Gemini Shapeshifting

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

Something in the Water

!

It was all Monica’s fault, Kate Didio decided. If Monica hadn’t texted her with the news she’d scored a date with that hot Tyler Hopkins, Kate wouldn’t have texted her back, and if Monica’s dating coup hadn’t distracted her she would have paid more attention to where she was walking while she texted, and she wouldn’t have hit the rim of the fountain in Talbot’s Peak’s sculpture garden, and she wouldn’t have tripped and fallen in and found herself thrashing around in danger of drowning in a whole two feet of water in a fountain shaped like a dog’s water dish. Monica was going to die.

So was Kate, from acute embarrassment. She stared around. Thank God the streets were practically deserted at this time of the morning. Everybody was at work, or caffing up at the coffee shop before they went to work. No one had spotted her blunder. She might just get out of this with only wet clothes and a shred of dignity intact.

Twin heads popped up on either side of her, slick as seals. Twin grins, one with a tooth missing, beamed at her. A boy and a girl, about six years old. Where had they come from, Kate wondered in shock. She hadn’t heard any additional splashes over her own loud floundering.

“Hi,” the girl said brightly. The hair currently plastered to her head was probably red when dry. She had the bluest eyes – no, wait, they looked green now – no, they went back to blue momentarily, then hovered somewhere in the middle. “I’m Tula. That’s my brother Garth. Did you come to swim with us?”

“Um … ” Kate squatted in the knee-deep water and stared from one child to the other. The boy had the same color-shifting eyes and shorter, darker hair. She blurted the first thing that popped into her head. “What are you doing in the fountain?”

The little girl giggled. “We just got back from -- ”

“Tula.”

Kate’s gaze shot up to the source of the voice. Oh. My. Lord.

He looked like some sea-god stepped from the breakers: tall, slender, broad-shouldered and tan, with long dark blond hair currently slicked back by water and the same ocean shades of blue and green in his eyes as the children. And wearing only swim trunks. Very brief, very wet swim trunks.

Amazing, how dry one’s throat could get even when one was sitting in a fountain.

“What did I tell you about talking to strangers?” this sea-god said to the girl.

“Don’t talk to strangers,” the girl sing-songed dutifully. She rolled her eyes with her back to the man. The three had enough features in common, and his tone had enough of that weary paternal fatalism, that she guessed he must be their father.

Of course. Hot dad strips down to his Speedo and takes his kids for a dip in the town fountain on the way to school. Happens every day.

“Y’know,” the girl said reasonably, “if you told her your name you wouldn’t be strangers any more.”

The man’s lips pressed together. He reached out and lifted Kate to her feet. His hands were incredibly strong. He must work out a lot. Or do a lot of swimming. Sort of like her head right now. She stood unsteadily in a cascade of fountain water and shoes and a skirt that were probably ruined by now and couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

“I’m Jess Durand,” the man offered, somewhat reluctantly, sounded like.

“I’m Katydid. I mean, I’m Katy. Kate. Kate Didio.” Atta girl, Katy, she thought, babble like an idiot in front of the wet hunky stranger. He probably thought she was brain damaged. “I fell in the fountain,” she added, and mentally winced. What snappy repartee.

One corner of his mouth twitched upwards. “Katydid?”

Oh God, don’t let that start up again. She straightened her shoulders. Water dripped from the ends of her hair. “Kate,” she said firmly. “I think I’m okay.”

He held her steady with his hands on his shoulders and studied her sodden outfit. “Nothing appears to be damaged,” he said.

On her end, at least. Not a flicker of the panic he felt showed in his impassive face. He’d moved hundreds of miles inland, away from the ocean, to keep his children safe. He’d gone to great pains to hide his nature from Talbot Peak’s many predators, and to disguise the portal to the underground ocean he’d opened in this fountain. Now this flighty human female had almost literally fallen on top of it, and on top of them. If she’d tumbled in on the other side she would have seen them emerge.

It must have been an accident. Karkarias would never employ a spy this inept.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” he asked. “To warm you up.”

“No thanks. I better get home and change.” It suddenly hit her what she was staring at, beyond a smokin’ wet guy. “Omigod, you must be freezing.” She shrugged out of her blazer and tried to drape it over his shoulders, in spite of the futility of the action. He was probably drier than her coat. “I live close by. Let me get you a towel.”

This time he smiled fully. “We’re used to brisk weather. We’re, um, Swedish. I’d better get the guppies to school. We’re running late as it is.”

“School.” The little boy made a rude noise, which his sister copied. Their father shooed them out of the fountain, then stepped out and lifted Kate over the rim and set her on relatively dry ground. Her feet squished in her soggy pumps. The few morning stragglers on the streets did not so much as glance at the group by the fountain. Just another morning in Talbot’s Peak.

“We also live close by,” he said. “Do you need an escort home? Will you be all right?”

“I’ll be fine. What’s a little water? Get your kids to school before they get in trouble.”

He smiled and offered a polite good-bye and herded his twins toward the street. She finally noticed the children also wore bathing suits. All three were barefoot. A morning dip in the public fountain. The longer she lived here, the stranger this town got.

A glint of sun on plastic caught her eye. Her cell phone lay by the rim of the fountain. She swooped down and snatched it up. Thank God it hadn’t gone into the drink with her. It seemed to be working okay. She glanced up again just in time to spot the swim team at the curb. His glute muscles, with the Speedo’s fabric hugging them like Krazy Glue, were working just fine too. Kate basked in the view until they crossed the street, then texted Monica. You still there? Wait’ll you hear this.

# # #
For What It's Worth section: Carcharodon carcharias is the scientific name of the great white shark. For those of you not comic geeks, Tula and Garth are the real names of Aquagirl and Aqualad. One by one, the Justice League is coming to Talbot’s Peak.

Hope you all had a great weekend

Blatant Promo-Solara Gordon News

Happy weekend everyone! I'm working on edits and revisions for next month's release. You've had time to drool over the cover and blurb. I'm running a contest over at a friend's blog along with an interview. Stop by and you can win an arc of RED HOT. You can enter by leaving a comment along with your email. Hurry up cuz the contest ends on Sunday.

http://judimello.blogspot.com/2011/05/giveaway-with-author-solara-gordon.html

Click on the link and you'll be taken to the interview.

On another note, I got reviewed by RT Bookreviews magazine. Also known as Romantic Times.
I made print copy along with a review on their website. See below:

Book Review

RED HOT by Solara Gordon Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance, Erotic Romance RT Rating There is plenty of heat and sexual tension between Brent and Bunny to keep the pages turning. However, some of the plot elements slow the pace of the story and make it feel long. Endearing characters and the burgeoning relationship make it a worthwhile and entertaining read. Bunny Kater has a thing for men in uniform, especially firefighters. She can’t seem to quell her attraction to Fire Chief Brent Stephens. However, she has sworn off men and relationships for the time being; her sex toys are a lot less complicated. Brent has been watching Bunny for a long time and fortuitous circumstances have put him very close to her. Soon, their attraction cannot be denied and a tentative relationship ensues. Can Brent break the walls surrounding this commitment-shy woman to give their relationship a chance? (SIREN, Sep. ‘10, 178 pp., $13.50) Reviewed By: Keitha Hart Publisher: SIREN Published: September 2010

To say I am proud and walking on air is to put it mildly. . .okay it is exactly what I'm feeling!
So stop by the interview and contest or if you've read RED HOT and would like to leave your review at RT go ahead.

Keep safe and dry with the crazy weather we're having! I hope to have a release date soon for Jet Lag along with a delicious peek at my next story tentatively titled: Lyssa's Double Pleasure.

Smiles,
Solara

Five Must See Sights in Talbot's Peak

"Good Friday Morning my fine tourists.  My name is Talullah Belle and I'm going to be showing you all around our beauteous Talbot's Peak!  We here in 'The Peak' are so proud of our little mountainous town that we greatly enjoy taking visitors on the rounds.  Now, we're walking, we're walking... 

Our first stop today is this quaint little shop where the two most opposite cats in the world love to lay.  One has the most gorgeous coat of white while the other is a touch scrawny and bald.  Both cats display a keen intelligence which can be a bit spooky and the Barista has a head of blue hair, but she makes the best cup of Joe in the tri-state area so we try not to stare.  Ten minutes everyone, then we need to be on our way...

...Everyone have their coffee?  Good, and we are off. 

Next up, our local newspaper, The Guts and Butts and Gazette.  You can see it down on the other side of the square there with the ah, interesting sign.  Yes, it does resemble a, ah butt with the crack between the B/G.  The town council has tried to send someone in to speak with Nick the Editor on several occasions to request the immediate removal of the sign, but the animal noises keep everyone out.  Your would think there was a zoo in there, but the only people going in and out are as human as you and me.  Go figure...

Moving on...

Quickly, quickly...the next site is right here on the corner of Shape ave and Shifting drive.  Those of course are not the real street names, but as you can see, the town dubbed them as such and gave them honorary street signs.  It has been claimed by many that if you stand quietly on this corner you will at one point or another see an animal that doesn't quite fit the mountains of Montana.  Sometimes, the animal might fit, but what it's doing certainly does not.  Why just last week someone claims to have seen a bighorn sheep riding on the back of a motorcycle...  Fabulous, just fabulous, right!   Well so far there is nothing to see here, but if you're staying in town come back again and you might get lucky...

And we are moving...

Up around this corner is the Talbot's Peak sculpture garden, you know kind of like the one a few states over in Minnesota with the big spoon and cherry.  Only this one has the worlds largest litter box.  This site is a real puzzle.  One night building started on the base, but no one had ever gotten approval to build there.  When the town council marched over there with a cease and desist order, they never found the culprit.  They even went over at night and no one...yet building continued.  It was almost like the artist could change shape or something.  Crazy, right.  Since they could never find the artist, work continued and we soon had ourselves a very large kitty box.  Many people in town were very put out with the new work of art, hissing and growling, but it didn't take long for the next sculpture to appear...

What is it, you ask?  Well see for yourself... Talbot's Peak now boasts not only the worlds largest litter box, but also the worlds largest dog stakeout and chain.  Artsy types are so odd sometimes...

Moving on...

Here we are, the bus' have arrived on schedule.  Watch your step getting on.  Our next 'not to be missed' site is the Last Bite Lodge for a spot of lunch.  They say sometimes you can hear bawdy music and animal cries late into the evening at the site...maybe we'll be lucky enough to hear some today, but be careful of what doors you open out there.  Some folks have never returned once they opened the wrong door...

Driver, we are ready.  Ooh, how about a stop along the way?  Get your camera's out everyone, in case the unicorn is out to play..."

~~~

You know, it's crazy sometimes how ideas pop into your head...I had nothing for this weeks blog(due to my own crazy, broken down car and lots of appointments week) until Talullah Belle plopped herself down in my Green room this morning...oblivious to the growling shifters around her and took me on a tour of her ever changing town... 

Won't she be shocked when the veil is pulled back!  LOL

Have a wonderful Friday!

Baiting The Trap For Love

Dorri tensed her haunches at the faint squeak of the cat door being forced open. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out that was how the delectable little balls of blue fluff were getting in. Lexor had had the cat door installed right after he’d bought the coffee shop and outfitted it with a little hydraulic motor that was radio controlled. He wore a collar outfitted with an embedded radio tag while in cat form that would trigger the door to open. This kept the premises relatively secure while eliminating the need to stash a spare key somewhere. Life as a shifter invariably meant returning home in the fur from time to time. Dorri very much liked this system Lexor had set up. Marissa had given her a collar with radio tag embedded in it, too.

While the state-of-the-art cat door meant never being locked out while locking out most life forms, it had one flaw. It could be force just wide enough for the smurfs to get into the coffee shop. Dorri had learned to listen for the tell-tail squeak of the door being forced. It might have been more effective to simply tell Marissa the door needed to be adjusted but she like hunting the silly things for her new human friend. It was something she could do well and it kept her occupied while she spied on the Yakooza.

The coffee shop and the human girl who ran it had been a god-send, literally. Marissa’s wolfen mate was… unusual, but he wasn’t so bad, either. Dorri came from a patriarchal society, so seeing a male wolf bow down eagerly to his human mate took a lot of getting used to. Life in the coffee shop, on the other hand, had been very easy to get used to. She stayed in cat form most of the time, skulking around, keeping away pests and playing pet for the customers. As a divine guardian, she didn’t smell like a shifter so the shifters who patronized Java Joe’s didn’t think anything of talking normally around her. To her delight, a good many of Kahn’s organization came here regularly for Marissa’s Indian coffee, chia tea and wide assortment of home-made biscuits.

The cat door squeaked again, letting her know that it had returned to its fully closed position. Everyone who was coming in was in. Time to spring her trap.

Slowly she worked her way forward, slinking on her belly across the slate tile floor of the back kitchen. Her long, snow white fur made it difficult to blend in with the shadows, but she relished the added difficulty. It had been so very long since the last time her hunting skills had been needed to this extent that any excuse to hone them was good. The fact that she’d have a nice snack of blueberry fluff as her reward was a good excuse, too!

She sensed movement just around the corner and sprang, the muscles of her huntress’s body releasing stored tension with the precision of a well-aimed weapon. One bound, two, three—then she was on her prey.

A muffled curse rang through the darkened kitchen as she bounced off her target. Dorri skid to a halt, sliding along the slate floor more than she had intended to. She too spun around and prepared for another pounce. There before her was a good-sized sphinx cat. He was twice the size of a normal cat with dark gray points fading into the paler gray of his body. Around his neck was a black, silver studded pet collar. Alas, no smurfs, she realized; only a pissed-off Egyptian. As she watched, he began shifting into his human form.

“Goddamit female,” Lexor spat out angrily as soon as he’d shifted enough to speak. “What in the name of Osiris do you think you are doing?”

Dorri allowed a very appreciative smile cross her feline face. Despite his claim of being fully adjusted to the modern Western culture, she knew he would never show his naked human form to just anyone, especially not to a female. And what a lovely form it was, too. Despite Marissa’s words to the contrary, Lexor was anything but hairless, scrawny or a runt. Smooth golden skin covered his toned, athletic body, unmarred by age. Beautifully wrought cicatrization, or ornamental sacrificial scarring, marked the cheeks of his butt, making the already attractive asset even more erotically pleasing to look at.

“I was hunting,” Dorri purred, her voice sounding rough, both from her speaking in her animal form and from her deep purring. Lexor shot her a disgusted look then bent down, picking her up by the scruff of her neck—no doubt to make her feel small.

“I thought I had told you to stop hunting things that were off-limits!” he rebuked sharply. Dorri flashed to her own human form. She let her naked body slide down his, still purring her pleasure.

“I didn’t realize you were off-limits, eshgham,” she murmured against his lips.