After ten years a cheetah meets her first crush at the Crossroads, and when she mounts the stallion, sparks fly and everything happens fast.
Rayna is a cheetah raised by otters. She got a free pass to the Crossroads, courtesy of her deceased parents. Tired of trying to find a cheetah or any other shifter that could wake her senses, she begins to work through the mate-seeking candidates at the Crossroads. If she couldn’t have her schoolgirl crush, she would have to make do.
Born to a steadfast horse-shifter family, Gregory was in love with Rayna, but an interception of an assignation note and their lives veered in two different directions. Now, he is at the Crossroads and more than his spirits rise when he sees the love of his life and knows that the timing is finally perfect.
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Born Cheetah
Copyright © 2013 Zenina Masters
ISBN: 978-1-77111-644-2
Cover art by Carmen Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Born Cheetah
Shifting Crossroads Book Seven
By
Zenina Masters
Chapter One
“And this one is from Rayna.” Leyline perched the huge box on her minimal lap and tore through the paper with the brightly coloured duckies on it.
Rayna watched and tried not to bite her nails. She had picked out the shower gift with care. The otters were very fussy about what they needed for their offspring.
She watched Leyline peer into the box and sighed in relief when she smiled.
“Onesies, a diaper container, some freezable teething rings and a baby book! Thank you, Rayna.” Leyline started to cry, and her sister Augusta handed her a tissue then resumed writing the contents of the box for a thank you card once the baby was born.
Rayna was almost trembling with relief. Some of the gifts had been bigger, some smaller, but she had never quite gotten things right with her adoptive family. A cheetah raised by otters was destined to be left out on occasion.
She sat back and watched her two sisters as one opened and the other wrote and organized. Her mother came by and handed her a glass of punch. “You did well, Rayna.”
Justine Samuels was a handsome woman, even in her late fifties. She had taken in her best friend’s child without hesitation when the accident that killed the Bakers left their daughter alone in the world. Every time Rayna saw her, there was a sense of gratitude that went through her in a wave.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Justine settled next to her and put her arm around Rayna’s shoulders. “No thanks necessary. You did well.”
Rayna clapped with the rest of the gathering when two cousins brought forward the gliding rocker with the big yellow bow.
“When is it going to be your turn, Rayna?” Her mother whispered it while the crowd was oohing and ahing.
“When I find a man who doesn’t run, Mom. Or one who runs with me.” She swallowed. There was only one man she had ever met that could run with her, and Leyline had gotten there first.
Of course, it wasn’t the man Leyline had married. Jonathon Tripper was a good man, a solid otter, and he would be a great father.
“You will find him. How is life in the big city?”
“Busy, fast paced, just how I like it.”
“Do you get out to run?”
“Whenever I can. Aunty Reggie meets me weekly for lessons, and we go on hunts when I need to.”
Justine tightened her grip for a moment. “How is that working out?”
“Fine. I don’t need to kill much. I prefer the chase.”
Her mother swallowed. “Good. I know it was a concern.”
Rayna put her arms around her mother and squeezed. “I know, and I am sorry.”
“Never be sorry for your nature, Ray. You are what you are as we are what we are.”
Rayna sat up again and smiled and clapped throughout the rest of the unwrapping until everyone rose to their feet and mingled.
Thankfully, Augusta had braced Rayna for what was about to happen. She stood and a wave of schoolmates swirled and eddied around her, asking her about her life and had she met a male of her own species yet.
Rayna spun out practiced responses and replied that her job kept her too busy to hunt for a mate. The moment she mentioned hunting, the questioner smiled nervously and wandered away.
She tried not to smirk, but it was difficult. Finally, she was in a corner with Augusta, sipping punch and eating a tiny pink, blue and yellow sandwich. “Congrats, Gusty. This was an excellent shower.”
“Thanks, Ray. It was an effort. Her moods are more unstable than a bathtub duck.”
Rayna chuckled. “She always was high strung. Now, she must be borderline.”
“Oh, she crossed the border a while ago. Now, she is heading for the next continent.” Augusta laughed then extended her legs and groaned.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Pop your teeth and scare them all away?” Augusta looked up through thick black lashes.
“If one more of them asks if I am dating one of my own kind, I will. I swear. Male cheetahs are arrogant, annoying and obsessed with sex.”
“Just like you.” Augusta laughed.
“Well, one of us in a room is enough. I can’t find a male of my kind that I can stand.” Rayna grimaced.
“Well, look for a male of another species?”
She blinked slowly. “You mean look elsewhere?”
“If that is what it takes; I am sure that you can manage to find a transporter.”
“Yes, but they ask for bits of family fur or claw. I can’t provide that.”
“How about your Aunt Reggie?” Augusta seemed surprised.
Surprised, Rayna stared at her. “Gusty, she isn’t really my aunt. She is my tutor.”
Her sister sat up straight. “What? She has been coming around since...oh my.”
“Well, yes. Mom called the feline council and found a cheetah tutor for me after my first shift. Aunt Reggie was delighted when I went to the city. She could never understand how I could live with otters all day every day and nothing bad happened.”
“Well, it almost did.”
“But it didn’t. Leyline swam for it, and I shifted back to myself.”
Augusta frowned but then perked up. “Why can’t you call the feline council and get a dispensation or something? I mean, your father was a lion and your mother was a cheetah. There has to be some relative out there somewhere who will donate to your transport.”
Rayna looked around at that last statement, taking in all the relatives around her who were not related in the least.
A woman was in earnest conversation with their mother, and Justine nodded her head sharply.
The woman looked
in the direction of Justine’s jerk, and she smiled brightly at Rayna.
The woman came straight toward Rayna, and she used her senses to scent the air. It was a human that was surrounded by the scent she associated with the crackling energy of magic. Rayna got to her feet with a smile. If she was good enough for Justine, she was good enough for her.
“Good afternoon, Rayna Baker.”
“Good afternoon.”
“My name is Kris, and I have a matter I would like to discuss with you.” The woman extended a business card and inclined her head.
“Transporter?”
Kris grinned. “I am the Transport Guild Master, and I have been given payment by the lion council to send you to the Crossroads whenever you choose. Apparently, your parents left orders with their guild master. If they were dead when you came of age, you were to be sent to the Shifter’s Crossroads for as long as it takes to find a mate of your choosing.”
“My parents knew the feline guild master?”
“Of course, but they also knew the value of insurance. Not only was your livelihood provided for but your future possibilities. They wanted you to have both.”
Rayna clutched at the card. “Can I have a few days to sort this out? I wasn’t planning to leave yet.”
“By all means. Call me when you are ready. There is no rush; I just wanted to tell you that all was taken care of. This is a nice shower. Your sister?” Kris looked around and smiled.
“Yes. The eldest one.”
“Feel free to pass that card on to your other sister when you are done with it. I get the feeling that she might not be content to fish in this pond.” Kris winked and wandered off into the woods. A flash of light and all traces of her were gone.
She chuckled and looked at the dazed Augusta who had followed the stranger with her gaze. “Who was that?”
Rayna smiled down at the card. “A message from my parents. I think I am going to go elsewhere very soon.”
“Can I watch the shop for you?” Augusta grinned.
“Yes, I think you can. I will help you clean up here, and then, we can head to my house and you can help me pick out outfits that will assist me in playing the part of bait.”
Augusta rubbed her hands together. “Being soft and vulnerable is right up my alley. Now, do you want to be adventurous or skanky? It is a fine line.”
“I will go for adventurous but will rely on your discretion.” Rayna winked, and together, they forged back into the party with good cheer and a deliberate grin. She had to practice being friendly for people she couldn’t stand. She was going to the Crossroads after all.
Chapter Two
She rocked against the fifteenth man in seven days. The music was just loud enough to send a beat through the room and yet moderate enough to allow conversation.
Rayna sighed, and when the music ended, she removed the wolf’s hands from her ass, and she parted ways with him. “Sorry, hon. Not my type.”
He grabbed her arm. “You are if I say you are.”
She growled low, popped her claws on her right hand and pressed them to his neck. “Take it as a nice rejection. I can make it nasty if I have to. I am looking for a forever mate, not a lay. Look for the same. You don’t want a woman you can bully into bed. You want someone who wants to be there.”
He blinked and nodded. “May you find what you seek.”
She bowed her head and backed away, returning to the bar where Chuck had her drink ready. “Nothing new tonight, Chuck.”
“You are looking a little frazzled, Rayna.”
“I am feeling frazzled, Chuck. How is Ivy tonight?”
He glanced into the corner where his mate was frantically scribbling. “She is having a productive night so I don’t exist.”
“Well, you two did field test the female battle armour yesterday. She was mighty uncomfortable, but she was able to move enough to stop you from clocking that panther.”
“I really thought he would go for you.”
“He and I had attraction but no connection. I am attractive to many males, but I wouldn’t want to bind myself to them for life.” She shrugged. She had dark gold hair that tumbled down her back in a sexy wave, thick lashes, dark gold eyes and a mouth with a natural pout. She knew she was attractive; she just wanted a mate who could see past her body.
A male settled on the bar stool next to her. “You always were too particular, Baker.”
She knew that voice. That voice haunted her dreams and left her with her heart pounding and her sex wet. “Fancy words, Daywell. You are here as well, and you are two years older than me.”
He grinned, his sandy hair falling attractively over one dark brown eye. “It is good to see you again. What brings you here?”
She snorted. “A transporter. You?”
“The same.” He tossed his head, and his hair slid back only to resume its position a moment later.
Rayna could see Chuck, and he was grinning as he polished glasses.
“Well, I have had all the fun I can handle for one night. If you want to hit the dance floor, the ladies are scattered. I am sure you can find someone to suit you.”
“You have always been far too particular. Would you care to dance?”
Her heart pounded and her palms sweated. She had had a crush on him since she was ten. No one ran like Gregory Daywell.
She slugged back her virgin daiquiri and got to her feet. “Fine. Sure. Let’s go.”
“Not an enthusiastic endorsement, but I will take it.”
Rayna smiled and took the hand he extended, letting him tug her to the dance floor. He turned her, and she was against him while a slow song had them rocking together. It was effortless the moment that she let herself relax.
“I thought you were married already, Rayna.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Leyline told me you were running away from home to be with a boy. I just thought it sounded likely.”
She blinked back tears. “No, that wasn’t the case. I had to leave to keep from injuring someone.”
“Ah, the predator problem.”
“Something like that. I was too territorial for my own good, and it broke my heart.” She smiled sadly at the memory.
Leyline had told her that Gregory was about to propose. Leyline was eighteen and Rayna sixteen at the time. Rayna had wanted to tear her older sister’s throat out, so she contacted Aunt Reggie and a few hours and a conversation with Justine later, Rayna was on her way to the city with Reggie as her guardian.
She had money, she had ambition, so she finished her education and tried to forget the man who was going to be her brother...only he wasn’t. He and Leyline broke up before a proposal was ever tendered, but by then, Rayna had begun a new life with new school and new friends.
He frowned. “What were you territorial about?”
“I had an inappropriate crush.”
“What species? Did you fancy a human?”
He continued to sway against her, and she slid her body against his, chuckling quietly at the reaction he couldn’t supress.
“No, he wasn’t a human. He was a runner.” She sighed and felt it best to get it out in the open, but she couldn’t make herself say it straight out.
“Really? I don’t recall too many shifters on the track team.”
She looked up at him. “There was one.”
He stopped in mid-sway. He blinked, and she read a confusion of emotions in his features.
“Never mind. It was a long time ago. Excuse me.” She headed to the bar and told Chuck she was retiring for the night.
He looked back toward the dance floor, but she didn’t. With her head high and a wave to a few of the regulars, she left the Crossed Star bar and headed to the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast.
Her feet slapped the road as she stalked back toward her home away from home. She heard feet behind her, and his scent reached her a moment before Gregory spun her around.
Hi
s eyes were intense, but she couldn’t say anything, because he swept her into his arms and kissed her with a ferocity that she had no idea was inside him. She whimpered and threaded her hands in his sandy locks, holding tight to his mane.
He pulled her head back and pressed fevered kisses to her neck while whispering, “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Leyline.”
He lifted his head and nodded shortly. He didn’t truly understand, he couldn’t, but he could guess why a sister dating a fellow would wreck the younger sister’s possibilities.
She pulled his head back to hers and tugged at his lower lip with her teeth.
He groaned and kissed her again, thrusting his tongue between her teeth, tasting her and pulling back in a rhythm that sent her sex clenching in the same beat.
Rayna moaned and pressed her hips against the bulge in his jeans. She didn’t care about tomorrow. Tonight, she wanted him inside her.
She pulled back. “I am staying at the Open Heart.”
He shuddered. “I am staying at the herbivore hostel. I think I will walk you home and see you in the morning.”
Rayna froze. “You don’t want to come inside?”
He shuddered again. “God yes. But not tonight. Can I meet you for breakfast?”
Her body shrieked at her to simply tackle him and take him right there. She ratcheted down her inner beast. “I run at dawn. I can meet you afterward.”
He grinned. “May I join your run?”
“Of course. I will wait five minutes after dawn and then set out. If you aren’t there, you will have to skip it or catch up.”
He smiled, “I will be there. I have always been an early riser.”
She stepped back, and he let her go. She was flustered. “Right. See you tomorrow then.”
With her whole body humming, she turned and walked toward the Open Heart. He walked in step beside her, which didn’t help her body calm itself. Silence was between them, but even that was warm and familiar.
Born Cheetah Page 1