I’ve been writing paranormal erotic romance for several years. My heroes and heroines have been werewolves, vampires, dragons, angels and demons.  This year, I’ve added a mountain cat to my list of shifter characters.

Mountain lion, cougar, puma and catamounts are common names for the big cats native to North America. The large cats are fierce predators. They hiss, growl and scream. They are tawny in color, resembling a lion. My heroine is a Catamount, the name shortened from cat of the mountain.

I like cats and creating a cat shifter heroine is exciting. Big cats are sleek and powerful, agile and quick, quiet and elusive. I like those attributes in a heroine.

Shifter characters have features, abilities and attributes beyond a human. A cat shifter has fur, fangs, whiskers, tail, paws and claws. A shifter characters has two forms, the human and the paranormal. The essence of the character lives in both forms. While in human form I want my shifters to exhibit the abilities of his or her animal form. My werewolf shifter has an extraordinary sense of smell, my dragon shifter blow smokes and my cat shifter purrs.

In my new series, Thunder Wolves, my shifter characters live in a world shared by humans. My hero is a werewolf. Werewolves and mountain cats are natural enemies and usually avoid one another. The intense mutual attraction between my hero and heroine defies the accepted rules of their shifter worlds.

I like breaking the rules.

The first book in my Thunder Wolves series is Thorne, a story about my werewolf hero falling for Madison, a human empath. The second book, Clay, introduces Kissa, my mountain cat heroine.

Thunder Wolves: CLAY

Kissa Troy mistakenly believes she’s safe in her identity as Beth Smith. No one knows she’s a mountain cat shifter and hiding from the Catamounts, a dangerous shifter cult. One day, a sexy alpha wolf walks into her life. Shaking off a determined wolf isn’t easy. When she’s tracked down by the Catamounts, Kissa turns to the wolf for protection.

Wolves and mountain cats are natural enemies, but all it takes is one breath and Clay Thunder is hooked. The sex is hot. The attraction is undeniable. She may be a cat with trouble on her tail, but she’s the one.

Still. A wolf and a mountain cat?

Excerpt from Clay

Beth. Her life was a lie. Another reason not to get involved with Clay.

He held out his arms. “I promise not to bite.”

She wanted to be held, to lose herself in his arms, to experience passion, to feel alive. Would a couple of hours in his bed prove more heartbreaking than satisfying? He waited until she stepped toward him. He was warm and she found comfort in his strong arms. Kissa inhaled, slowly, deeply. Her blood sang.

Clay cupped her face in his hand and ran his thumb over her lower lip. She knew he wanted to kiss her. A smart cat would move away, but she was caught in the spell of his scent. She lifted her chin, offering her mouth. The moment his lips touched hers, she was on fire.

He didn’t grope her or pull at her clothing. He simply kissed her, slowly, thoroughly and that was her undoing. Her blood burned. Her heart pounded. Her pussy throbbed. She was lost. Her doubts slid away and her fears were overpowered by desire.

Clay lifted his head and took a deep breath. “You feel it. You smell it. It’s more than arousal.”

“It just pheromones. Physical chemistry.”

“It’s stronger than that, but you didn’t want to go out with me. Yet, you called. What made you change your mind?”

“Wolf. Cat. Had to think about it.”

“But that’s not the reason you called.”

“I like your scent.”

“I like yours, but it wasn’t arousal I smelled when you climbed on my bike. I know the scent of fear.”

She stepped out of his arms. “You know how to ruin the moment.”

“I want the moment. I want it bad. What are you afraid of?”

Kissa hated to lie, but her life was series of false identities and phony backgrounds. Using the wolf for a few hours was bad enough. Dragging him into her troubles was unforgivable. The Catamounts would kill him for giving her shelter.

“There have been break-ins in my area. I thought someone was in my apartment, so I got out of there.”

“Why didn’t you go back to Murphy’s?”

“I thought about it, but I was curious about you. So I called.”

Clay pushed his fingers through her hair and cupped her head in his hand. “You’re safe with me, Beth.”

Safe. She had begun to believe that true safety was an illusion.

“If you don’t want to talk, fine, but don’t lie to me.”

The wolf was too perceptive. He wanted the truth. “I’ve never been with a wolf. It should feel wrong, but it doesn’t.”

A smile teased his lips. “I’ve never been with a cat.”

“What should we do?”

He slipped his hands around her waist and drew her close. “Satisfy your curiosity.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

B.J. McCall is published by Changeling Press, eRedSage, Cobblestone Press and Ellora’s Cave. Her books are available at Amazon, Kobo, B&N and Are.

www.bjmccall.com

Clay available at Amazon: https://ow.ly/K7H96