Bellann Summer

Good Monday Morning
Tonight, in the United States we are having a debate between the candidates running for president. In honor of this I thought I would post a snippet from my newest story that will be out this Wednesday, September 28th. This snippet is not a representation of any of the candidates in any way, shape or form.
I hope you enjoy it. If Only Loving A Cheetah Were Easy (Lubirea Mai) http://www.bookstrand.com/book/if-only-loving-a-cheetah-were-easy

For now, the danger had passed, and Silver’s warmth seeped into Tye’s cold bones. Tye knew if they didn’t deepen the bond by having sex their world was going to consist of terrible mental and horrible physical pain.

Also, the lions would be back, and he had a feeling this time they wouldn’t stop until they had killed both Tye and Silver. Silver had killed one of them, and they would want vengeance.

Tye laid his head against Silver’s wide chest and listened to his heartbeat. For cheetahs, the heartbeat of a loved one was calming and made them feel secure. Tye began purring. Fingers stroked through his hair and continued down his back. Tye arched into the caress and purred harder.

“Hold it together, Ronnie,” Silver’s deep voice rumbled next to Tye’s ear. “We’ll get this all figured out.”

Tye lifted his head and looked around. In his bliss of being with Silver, he must have missed something. Under the window, the blond had half his face covered by a black T-shirt and was shaking so hard his curls bobbed. Wide dark brown eyes stared up at them from just above the material. Ten feet away lay a dead lion with a huge bloody hole in its belly.

Crap, they were in big trouble. Huge waves of dread washed over Tye.

Silver gently lifted Tye’s chin until their eyes met. “Why can I feel that?”

Tye blinked. Silver had been tall before, but Tye could swear he was even taller now.

“Answer me, little cat,” Silver demanded.

“We’ve started the bonding process,” Tye explained. “As we get closer to sealing the bond, the path will open more and everything between us will get clearer.”

“Do you want to explain what that means?” Silver asked.

“We’ll be able to sense each other’s feelings, and some mates can even tell if their one and only is near, even if they can’t see or hear them.” Tye’s gaze settled on the dead lion. “I need to call the council. I’m sure the lion representative knows one of his own is dead, but if we don’t report it, we could be in more trouble than we already are.”

At the frown marring Silver’s brow, Tye automatically began rubbing his hands over the big man’s chest, hoping to soothe. Through the bond, he felt Silver’s pleasure from his caress.

“Those men…things broke in here to kill us,” Silver pointed out as he stroked the small of Tye’s back. “Why would we be in trouble?”

“Shifters…they are lion shifters,” Tye corrected. “Most council representatives wouldn’t have a problem if one of their own died committing a crime. But I’m a cheetah, and a human witnessed the event. That isn’t good. There will be penalties.”

“Did he just say he was a cheetah?” Ronnie broke into the conversation. “Silver, my man, what the hell is going on? We need to go find whoever sold us these drugs and put the hurt on them. I’m telling ya, this trip isn’t any fun at all. We need to go find some of the good stuff so we can forget this bullshit.”

Tye pushed on Silver’s chest. “You need to let me go. If a council agent shows up before I call, everything will be so much worse than it already is.”

Silver loosened his arms, but didn’t let Tye go. “Okay, call.”

Tye didn’t know whether to laugh at Silver’s antics or melt into a puddle of goo.

“Um…” Tye wiggled around, waiting for Silver to set him free. “I need some room to make the call.”

“You’re fine where you are. Now make the call,” Silver instructed. His tone said Tye wasn’t going anywhere.

Sighing, Tye wiggled around until he could reach down and pull his phone out of his front pants pocket. Leaning the phone on Silver’s muscled chest, Tye found the number he was looking for and pressed the dial button. All the while, Silver kept him in a secure hold.

A women’s brisk voice answered, “Council. How may I direct your call?”

“I need to talk to the cheetah representative,” Tye burst out. Maybe, if he and Silver took off on the motorcycle, they would have a chance at avoiding prosecution.

There was a click, and a male voice said, “This is Chet.”

Tye couldn’t even smile at the thought that this was Chet the Cheetah. Nothing was funny right now.

He took a deep breath and blurted out, “I ran into four lions at a job I was doing. They chased me, and I was saved by my mate. They broke into my mate’s house and attacked. Oh, did I mention that they brought a human with them? Anyway, there was a fight, and one lion is dead, and the rest ran away. Please help me.”

“Oh, dear,” Chet responded. “That is quite the mess you’ve gotten yourself into. Why did the lions attack if you are mated? I’m sure your mate can explain he was protecting you to his agent. What is your mate? A lion or a tiger?”

Tye swallowed hard and answered, “Human.”

“Oh, dear.”

To say that Tye had surprised and horrified Chet would be an understatement. Through the airways, Tye could sense the cheetah was on the edge of freaking out. Shouldn’t the most powerful of the cheetahs be sending calmness his way?

“Well,” Chet exhaled in a huff. “I haven’t ever come across that combination of a mating. I’ve heard it can go very well or end in disaster. If you’ve mated, why haven’t you come in to seal the bond?”

“Because.” Tye took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. “We haven’t totally bonded yet. I just met my mate when the lions were chasing me. What should I do with this human and dead lion?”

“Call the lion representative,” Chet answered.

“But isn’t that your job?” Tye didn’t want to call the head lion. Lions killed.

“No way am I talking to that vicious piece of cat,” Chet responded. “That guy would eat me for supper.”

There was a click, and then the woman from before said, “May I help you?”

Tye took the phone away from his ear and stared at it in dismay.

“Come on, cat,” the woman snapped. “Tell me who you want to talk to.”

“Cheetah representative.”

There was a click, and Chet answered, “This is Chet.”

“You have to help—”

Click.

“May I help you?” The woman’s voice was still professional.

Tye gave up. Tremors of fear raked through his body. “I…I need to speak to the lion representative.”

Silver’s arms tightened until Tye was again plastered against his hard muscles and lying with his cheek against Silver’s chest while still holding the phone to his ear. There was a click and then silence. Instincts told Tye someone powerful was on the other end of the phone. Tye welcomed the massive arms that folded around his shoulders and head as if they were hiding him from the world. Tye needed to hide.

“I can feel your terror,” a deep menacing voice said. “It makes me want to chase, capture, and kill. Speak, cowardly one.”