STORY EXCERPT

He was getting tired. His frantic burst of speed had gotten him ahead, but that wasn’t going to last. Cheetahs were built for the short distance race, not a long run. Tye Curry was getting desperate. The lion shifters behind him were getting closer. Why in the world had he agreed to upgrade and streamline the home improvement store’s computer system located in a town thirty miles from the safety of his home?

By the time Tye had finished the job, eight o’clock had come and gone, and darkness had descended. The store’s vast emptiness of people indicated that the hour of closing was only minutes away.

As Tye passed the tools department, the faint scent of lion drifted in the air. Yes, he should have turned around and gone back into the store’s office. He could have waited until the store closed and walked out with store personnel.

But he hadn’t.

Three rows later, four lion shifters stepped out of the aisle. No words were exchanged. By Tye’s scent alone, the lions knew he wasn’t mated, and he knew none of the lions were his mate. If he were lucky, the lions would be from a newer generation and wouldn’t believe he was fair game to kill.

Of course, that was not to be. Luck wasn’t something Tye had ever experienced, and he wouldn’t get it today either.

“Get him,” the tallest of the four yelled.

Tye took off out of the store as fast as his legs would carry him. Now he was running for his life. As in the wild, where lions kill cheetah babies, in the shifter world, lions and tigers killed unmated cheetahs. On the totem pole of big cats, cheetahs held the bottom rung. They were considered worthless and potentially dangerous by the other cats unless they were their mate. Then they were invaluable.

“Give up, little kitty. You are going to taste so good.”

Terror surged through Tye, and he pumped his legs harder. He couldn’t take the time to pull out his car keys. Any hesitation and the lions would be on him. The moment they had him in their grasp, the men would shift into their lion forms. The first bite would force Tye into his cheetah form. By the time the lions finished their massacre, there wouldn’t be any traces of Tye left.

Tye sprinted around to the back of the building, hoping to get lost in the outside warehouse full of lumber and other inventory. Oh crap, a twelve-foot wall of wire fencing stood in front of him. The entryway must be on the other side of the store.

Having no other option, Tye veered left and followed the fence until it ended at a small parking lot. Dashing across the lot, he hopped a curb onto a patch of grass. Just ahead was a side street. His heart sank. The street looked deserted.

Heavy breathing behind him had Tye ignoring the fatigue overtaking his muscles, and he pushed himself harder. He didn’t want to die. As he reached the street, a lone light pierced through the darkness. An urge to touch that beacon of hope had Tye turning in that direction.

“Gotcha.”

Tye’s outer, long-sleeved, dress shirt was yanked tight, choking him. Panicking, Tye let his inner cat take over, and he flipped his body around. The material ripped over Tye’s shoulders and head, leaving him in his T-shirt. Off balance, he crashed to the asphalt. Tye closed his eyes. This was it. He was going to die.

An engine’s roar drowned out all other sounds. Tye opened his eyes and found a blinding light inches away from his face.

“Get on,” a deep, gravelly voice ordered.

Never hesitating, Tye jumped to his feet and raced to the side of the giant motorcycle. On the dark edge of the halo caused by the cycle’s headlamp, Tye saw his attackers pacing back and forth like the lions they were.

Tye placed his hand on the driver’s muscled arm. A sense of home stole over him. Electric tingles zipped over Tye’s skin and headed straight to his cock.

“Get on now.” Impatience tinged the demand, sending Tye into action.

Stepping on the footrest, Tye swung his jean-clad leg over and plopped his ass on the leather seat. The motorcycle’s engine gunned, and Tye grabbed onto the man’s leather vest. His fingers tightened as the cycle took off, jerking him backward.

Tye’s mind raced as fast as the scenery they passed. Not once, during his one hundred years of life, had Tye experienced such a powerful engine between his legs. The low, growling vibration sent his senses soaring. What his imagination thought he could do on this motorcycle had his dick hardening.

Tipping his face up toward the night sky, Tye took a deep breath of the sweet, fresh scent of the wind whipping past him. Shock opened Tye’s eyes wide. Could it be?

ADULT EXCERPT

“I want you, now,” Silver whispered against Tye’s hot skin. He would no longer be denied what was his.

“Silver, we have to follow… Oh you feel so good.”

A smile curved Silver’s lips where they were pressed against Tye’s temple. Silver carefully backed Tye up to the edge of the rug. His eyes roamed over Tye’s naked body as he let the cape he was wearing fall to the floor. The desire blazing in Tye’s eyes as he watched made Silver feel invincible. Silver gently eased Tye back onto the rug. Tye started panting when Silver dropped down to his knees between Tye’s legs. He grinned up at Tye as he grabbed him and flipped him over onto his stomach.

“Silver, what—”

He enjoyed the long groan that fell from Tye’s lips as he leaned in and licked the rounded curve of his ass. Tye’s legs trembled under his hand, delighting him even more. Silver liked knowing he could get to his lover in such a way that the man couldn’t control his reactions. He traced the lean line of Tye’s spine, enjoying the sight of his fingertips dipping into the valley at the small of his back and rising over the lushness of his ass. He couldn’t resist a little exploration between those creamy globes, searching for that sweet passage that would take him to paradise.

Silver grinned then reached down and gripped Tye’s knees, spreading them and lifting his hips up at the same time. He started licking at the puckered, pink hole that twinkled up at him, pushing his tongue in then stroking it down over Tye’s balls to the root of his cock before moving back up and repeating the process.

Tye’s body went stiff for a moment, his thigh muscles going rock hard, and then he trembled almost uncontrollably. “Si-Silver, please!” Tye wailed.

The sound of Tye shouting out his name sent chills down Silver’s spine in a way that didn’t even come close to making him cold. His body was so hot he was about to combust. Silver was nearly out of his mind.

The thin, wrinkled skin of Tye’s hole gave away under his firm caress, allowing the tip of his finger to break through. Tye moaned, and Silver pressed in deeper. It didn’t take long for his mate’s chute to loosen, and Silver slipped a second finger inside.

Leaning down, he brushed his lips down the side of Tye’s cheek before stating, “You’re wet and slippery inside.”

Tye lifted his head off his folded arms and opened his eyes. “Nature gave cheetahs one break in life and made their holes easier to relax, as well as self-lubricating. On the other hand, cheetahs became sought after as prized pets for dominating cats. At least until they decided to eat them.”

Anger gave Silver’s voice an added roughness. “Someone ought to bang a few heads together and change a few attitudes.”

Tye’s chuckle carried a lot of sarcasm. “Things were changing until the last cheetah representative took over.” Tye pushed his hips back, spearing himself on Silver’s fingers. “Now love on me, mate.”

Silver widened his fingers. He didn’t care if nature did most of the work. It was his responsibility to make sure Tye only experienced pleasure, not pain.

“Silver, please,” Tye begged. Sweat beaded along his brow before trickling down the side of his handsome face.

Desire flared. Not able to wait a second longer, Silver released his fingers. Spreading Tye’s ass cheeks, Silver froze.

Damn.

“Condoms,” he barked out.

“Don’t need them. Shifters don’t get diseases.” Tye lifted onto his knees, presenting his ass.

“Good to know.”

One surge had his cock penetrated halfway inside a wet, warm, tight utopia. One he never wanted to leave. Small muscles clung to his cock, almost making the top of his head explode. Of course that was when he remembered there were probably some damned rules he needed to know. In quick concession, Silver pulled out of Tye’s hole, flipped the man over onto his back, pushed his legs up, and plunged back in.

Tye’s eyes were half closed as he breathed out the words, “Silver. Oh, Silver.”

His control thinned to the point of nonexistence as Tye’s ass milked his cock. A series of deep thrusts had him on edge.

“It’s never felt so good,” Tye babbled. “More, please more.”

Silver shoved his fingers into Tye’s silky hair and yanked his head closer until their lips were a hair’s-breadth apart. “Are there any rules I need to know?”

“Um, we have to be connected in all ways when we come together.”

Silver tried to wrap his mind around that one. “Connected, how?”

Tye gazed at him with heavy lids. “By kiss, mixing our blood, and sex.”

He could work with that. “Shut up and kiss me.”