My Stray Cat

by Shelley Munro

  “I don’t want to see a doctor,” Leticia protested for what seemed the fiftieth time.

  “He might not want to see you either,” Lucas said, earning himself a chiding look from me.

  I leaned over and kissed him. “Either way, we’ll work it out,” I said. “Wait here and I’ll speak to Gavin. I won’t be long.” I exited the vehicle, leaving tension behind. In truth, I took tension with me. Even though I knew our shifter doctor Gavin Finley well, I couldn’t be sure how he’d react to looking at Leticia as a patient. I picked up the brass knocker and rapped it against the door. The sound on the television lowered and footsteps approached the door. It opened.

  “Gavin.”

  “Saul! How are you?” Gavin’s grin was toothy, and I read nothing apart from genuine pleasure at seeing me. “Come inside.”

  I followed his rangy figure into the lounge, nerves vibrating in the pit of my stomach. My throat and mouth dried without warning. I swallowed, trying to relieve the sensation.

  “Beer?”

  “Ah, thanks.” I sat and at once sprang to my feet again, marching around the lounge while Gavin headed for the kitchen. I prowled between two dark brown leather chairs, stopped to gaze out the window at the neighbor’s house before returning to pick up a farming magazine off the coffee table near one chair.

  “Here you go.” Gavin handed me a beer I didn’t want once I’d replaced the magazine. He sank into one of the chairs and tipped his head back to regard me with intense green eyes. “How have you been?”

  I set the beer on the coffee table. “Gavin, I’m pleased to see you but I didn’t come for a friendly chat. I have two friends waiting for me in my SUV—”

  “Bring them inside,” Gavin said.

  “It’s my boyfriend and his sister,” I said bluntly.

  Gavin didn’t even blink. “So?”

  “Leticia is FIV positive. She needs to see a doctor.”

  Gavin straightened, a whistle of air emerging between his front teeth. “Feline AIDS. I’ve never heard of a shifter getting that before. You sure it’s AIDS?”

  “So they say. They have medical records.”

  “The surgery,” Gavin said. “I’ll meet you there.”

  “Aren’t you worried about catching it?” I asked.

  “It spreads by blood and saliva in a bite. She’d have to savage me with her teeth before I caught it,” Gavin said.

  I nodded, relived and pleased at his reaction. “One more thing.”

  Gavin’s brows rose in a silent question.

  “They’re lion shifters, not leopard.”

  “No problem.” Gavin shrugged and brushed his dark hair away from his face. “I’ll see them inside.”

  I curbed the urge to kiss my friend since I didn’t want to scare him. Instead, I hurried outside and opened the driver’s door. “Gavin said to come inside.”

  “Are you sure?” Leticia asked.

  Lucas didn’t move. “Does he know we’re not leopard?”

  “Yes to both. Come on,” I said. “I’ll introduce you to Gavin then I need to make a call.”

  I waited for them to climb out of the SUV before walking up the path to Gavin’s surgery. The door opened at my touch. I stood back to let brother and sister enter and closed the door after me. “Gavin, this is Lucas and Leticia.” I glanced at Gavin and suppressed a grin. Judging by the dopey smile, Leticia had won him over already. “Can I use the phone while you check out Leticia?”

  “What? Oh! Yeah, that’s fine.” A faint tide of red rose up his neck. “Leticia, can you sit up here please?”

  I left them in the surgery and used the phone in Gavin’s living quarters. I dialed, my nerves jumping to life yet again while I waited for one of the Mitchells to answer.

  “Hello?”

  I recognized the sultry tones of Saber’s wife Emily straightaway. “Hi, Emily. It’s Saul Sinclair. Is Saber there?”

  “Sure is,” she said. “Where are you? Are you coming home?”

  “Emily, please. Can I talk to Saber? It’s important.” I figured Saber was the best person to talk to since he was a member of the council who made laws and decisions on behalf of the Middlemarch black leopard shifter community.

  “Saul, how are you?” Saber’s husky voice drifted down the phone line, full of welcome and not a shred of judgment. His attitude gave me confidence.

  “I have a problem,” I said, deciding it was best to lay out the facts straightaway. “I have two friends with me—a brother and sister. We’re at Gavin’s surgery at the moment.”

  “Why?”

  “Leticia has feline AIDS.”

  “Hell. Wait there. I’m coming over now.” The phone slammed in my ear.

  I pulled a rueful face before setting the phone back in place and heading back to the surgery. “What’s the verdict, Doc?”

  “I need to do blood work. The results will take a day. Hey, don’t look so worried, Leticia,” he chided. “I don’t see why we can’t control your symptoms with a healthy diet and lifestyle. Keep down the stress levels. From what you’ve told me, stress aggravates the condition.”

  “Saber is driving over to see us,” I said.

  “Oh?” Gavin surveyed my expression before checking out Lucas in a similar manner. “Shit’s about to hit the fan, huh?”

  “Shut up,” I muttered. Unfortunately, I thought he might be right.

  Saber arrived not long afterward. He walked into the surgery looking much the same as he’d looked a few months ago—happy and contented, despite the current frown.

  I stood in front of him, uncertain for once in my life. Saber grabbed me in a bear hug, showing none of my restraint.

  He openly checked out Lucas and Leticia, studied their blond hair, sniffed. “Don’t see many lions around these parts.”

  “Lucas Huntingdon,” Lucas said, holding out his hand.

  “Saber Mitchell.” Saber didn’t hesitate to shake hands and I let out the breath I’d been holding.

  “Leticia Huntingdon,” Leticia said, holding out her hand.

  Saber shook her hand too. “I understand you have feline AIDS.”

  “FIV,” Gavin said. “Because of her shifter genes I doubt it will advance into full-blown AIDS, but she’ll still have to manage her condition. I’ll know more once my test results come through, although her medical records are conclusive.”

  “Are you worried about catching the virus from Leticia?” Saber asked. When I protested, he held up a hand and waited for Gavin to answer.

  “She’d need to bite me severely for the virus to take hold of my system. It’s unlikely it’d spread, possible but not probable.”

  Saber nodded. “Humans can’t catch FIV?”

  “No.”

  He nodded again and turned to me. “You can stay with us tonight. We have spare rooms. I’ll call a council meeting tomorrow morning.”

  Chapter Five

  Leticia was asleep in the twins’ room when Lucas and I went to bed. Emily hadn’t batted an eye when I’d introduced Lucas as my boyfriend. Hell, I loved that woman. Saber was a lucky man. Fact was, I was tired of hiding and refused to do it any longer.

  “Your friends are amazing,” Lucas said. A hint of wistfulness shaded his face, and I drew him into my arms for a quick hug.

  “They’re brilliant,” I agreed, “but I doubt the council will let us stay. My father is a close friend of several of the senior members. His opinion will hold power.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Lucas sighed and moved away from me. “Leticia and I are strong. We will leave and find a place. A haven where we’ll both be safe.”

  Panic hit me then. No way was I letting him walk away that easily. “I love you, Lucas. If you leave, I’m going with you. We can make our own pride, maybe close but not too close to Middlemarch. A place where we can run without fear of discovery by humans.”

  Lucas’s eyes widened. Disbelief. Shock. Joy. I watched the emotions chase across his face an instant before he seized me. “You love me? A
re you sure? We haven’t known each other long.” He looked at me with hope. Excitement. His brown eyes glowed with emotion.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Oh man. Saul. Oh man!” He ground his mouth against mine. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t smooth. But it was honest. His kiss held every bit of the promise I needed.

  When we pulled apart, I started stripping. “We could take up where we left off this afternoon. It’s still my turn.” I grabbed lube and several condoms from his pack. By the time I turned back he was naked, the light from the bedside lamp highlighting his muscular chest and slim hips. I glanced lower and licked my lips. His dick jutted up, making my stomach muscles quiver. “Try not to roar,” I suggested. “The neighbors might hear.”

  I ran my hands over sculpted muscles and smooth skin. I breathed in his musky scent with the hint of the wild, of the outdoors. Smiling at a sudden purr, I leaned closer to taste his mouth. His lips clung to mine in a gentle kiss, a giving kiss that made my blood run hot. I wrapped my arms around him, holding on tight and savoring being with a man who meant so much to me. I pulled away and stared him straight in the face.

  “Do you love me?”

  “Hell yeah. I love you, Saul,” he added, obviously realizing I needed the words.

  Awe and a sensation I’d never experienced before swam through me, a sense of rightness and peace. I pushed Lucas toward the bed and we fell onto the large mattress in a tangle of arms and legs. His cock jabbed into my stomach and I realigned our bodies. We thrust and ground against each, snatching kisses and driving each other to distraction. My balls tightened with each teasing thrust. Joy bubbled inside me. Lucas moaned, and I moved farther down the mattress, taking a teasing swipe across the head of his swollen cock.

  “Do that again,” he muttered. “Use your tongue.”

  I swirled my tongue across sensitive skin and sucked, pulling a loud purr from him. Easy. My lover was easy.

  I grabbed the lube and squirted a blob onto my palm. His flesh was hot beneath my probing fingers. His large frame shuddered with another purr. Breathing hard myself, I stretched him and grabbed a condom. I rolled it on, added more lube and pushed inside his entrance. This time we were facing, and I had total control. The acceptance and the honesty, the pleasure on his face made my heart thunder. I worked my way inside his tight hole, trembling at the hot, decadent feel of him. Fully seated, I paused. I leaned over and licked his dick slowly and thoroughly as if it were a great delicacy. His large frame shook.

  “Saul.” My name was a whisper, an affirmation.

  I pulled back, shuddering again at the fiery heat and the tight grip of him.

  “Yeah, Saul.”

  I moved faster, stroking a fraction harder, hitting his sweet spot. His eyes squeezed shut, he fisted his cock with his big hand and his body arched. Semen shot from me without warning and I luxuriated in the aftershocks. A groan ripped from my throat. Lucas froze, his cock spurting cum over his right hand and chest, his face screwed up into an expression of almost pain. Gradually we both relaxed. I sensed Lucas’s gaze and opened my eyes.

  He cupped my face with his left hand. “I love you, Saul. Next time we should make it official. I presume leopards mark mates in the same way lions do? I’d be proud to wear your mark on my shoulder.”

  “Me too,” I whispered, my heart leaping with elation. I’d be a marked man, and I loved the thought.

  A broad smile curved across my lips. In that moment I knew I’d never experience loneliness again, no matter what happened tomorrow at the council meeting or in our future. My stray cat label was history. I was part of a couple and I’d never do the stray cat strut again.

  Thank you for purchasing and downloading My Stray Cat. If you enjoyed this book, please remember to take a second to leave a review. Let me know what your favorite parts were. The Middlemarch fun isn’t about to end. Please turn the page to read an excerpt from Leticia’s story, My Second Chance, the next book in the Middlemarch Shifters series. Keep up with new books in the series by joining my newsletter or visiting my website. Happy reading!

  Shelley xx

  Excerpt – My Second Chance

  Leticia Huntingdon scrutinized the hair in her brush and knew the FIV or feline immunodeficiency virus was no longer dormant. A healthy feline shifter didn’t lose this much hair during the grooming process. Fear, stark and frightening, kicked her in the gut and her legs trembled so much she thought she’d fall if she didn’t sit. She sank onto the bed, the tremors speeding to her hands and her legs.

  “Damn,” she whispered.

  A glance at her wristwatch confirmed she had little time before someone thumped on her bedroom door. The last thing she wanted was to socialize at a birthday party, but if she said she’d prefer to stay at home, her brother Lucas and his partner Saul Sinclair would worry. And she didn’t want that. They’d both been so good to her—Lucas leaving the pride in South Africa to stay with her, and Saul and his leopard-shifter friends accepting her without hesitation.

  Her gaze drifted to the tufts of blonde hair clinging to the black bristles of her brush and this time anger bloomed, hot and consuming. It wasn’t fair. Nothing about this was fair. Her ex-lover, who had given her the disease by raping her and ripping open her shoulder, had never faced justice, his position as a lawyer keeping him safe.

  His word against hers.

  She’d thought she’d discovered a home in Middlemarch, yet the disease, the feline equivalent of HIV in humans, would steal that from her.

  No cure.

  The two words echoed through her head. Mocking and final. Gavin Finley, the local vet and doctor to the shifters, had told her the prognosis was good, that they might not cure the disease but could manage it. According to him, although she had the disease, the symptoms were mild and only exacerbated by stress. So manage it they had, and pretty well. Thanks to Gavin, her health remained good, apart from the latest sign. Not so good. Gavin had mentioned the symptoms to look for and losing hair sat at the top of the list along with weight loss and difficulty breathing. A harsh sigh whooshed up her throat, burning all the way.

  AIDS. Such a little word. Such a big disease.

  Tears obscured her excellent vision, making her reflection waver in the mirror.

  A tap sounded on her bedroom door. “Leticia, sweetheart. Are you almost ready? We’ll arrive late to Saber’s party. We still have to drive to Middlemarch.” Saul.

  Leticia sucked in a deep breath, fighting anxiety and dredging up anger to hide her fear.

  “Bite me. Don’t you know you always have to wait on women?” she added, dragging the brush through her hair again and forcing humor into her voice despite the terror curling across her face. “Always in a hurry.”

  “Sweetheart, I’d love to bite you, but I don’t want to upset your brother,” Saul countered.

  Leticia couldn’t help the involuntary smirk when she heard a familiar masculine growl in the background. Lucas. It was all a front. Her brother and Saul were crazy about each other. Mates.

  Unthinking, she drew the brush through her hair again. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw more loose strands glinting amongst the bristles. Setting it aside, she picked up a comb. It didn’t stop the fall of hair. Apprehension lurched through her mind, her recent weight loss taking on a sinister meaning.

  How could this happen almost overnight? Dammit, she’d followed Gavin’s instructions, eating healthy foods, vegetables even. Cosseting herself and keeping stress to a minimum. True, things were difficult at work, the pressure of a big case making for long days. She’d thought she was coping.

  By the time she finished, her long blonde curls appeared tidier and less. Thin. Too thin. A hat. She’d have to wear a hat. She’d get through tonight and after that…

  Well, she didn’t want to think about that now. Dying at a young age wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on tonight. She shoved the thought aside and stood.

  Leticia dressed rapidly, rejecting the black trousers she’d intended to we
ar in favor of a short red skirt. Tonight, she needed to distract, and bright colors and long legs would do the trick. Deftly, she twisted her hair into a loose knot at the back of her neck. A low-cut red-black-and-cream top covered her upper half and hid the scar on her shoulder from public view. With her makeup already done, all she needed to do was add dangling earrings and a jaunty black hat. She slipped her feet into black slides, the heels giving her three extra inches in height. After grabbing a black clutch and looping the long strap over her shoulder, she pasted on a smile to prepare for the best acting job of her life.

  “About time,” Lucas said when she strolled into their den. He and Saul stood close, and she knew she’d interrupted a romantic moment. Envy washed through her in a wave, followed by self-pity.

  Gavin. Every time she saw him she wanted to jump him. They were compatible. Possible mates.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to leave?” Leticia aimed for light and teasing. She surprised herself with her acting abilities, but then she’d had plenty of practice, pretending she cared nothing for Gavin Finley, the shifter doctor. “It looked as if you were having a private moment.” She arched a brow, letting the ghost of a smile quiver her lips.

  Yep, award-winning performance.

  “Shut your mouth, brat,” her brother drawled, the familiar South African accent bringing a yearning for home. She was home, she reminded herself. The savannah land of the veld was no longer her habitat.

  “She needs to get her own man,” Saul said, his green eyes glinting with mischief. “Gavin wants you. Why don’t you stop running and let him catch you for a change?”

  Lucas nodded agreement, and Leticia had to swallow to force back the building emotion. She would not cry. She would not. “There’s no magic between us,” she said, once again forcing out the lie without flinching or lowering her gaze.

  If things had been different, she might have mated with Gavin by now. After meeting him, she’d realized the feelings she’d had for her ex were a pale imitation. No. No matter how much she craved the same closeness Saul and her brother experienced, she refused to put Gavin through the trauma of being with her and unable to bestow the mark. One taste of her blood and she’d pass on the FIV virus. Unthinkable to place Gavin under the same death sentence she struggled with on a daily basis.