Catting Around

By Charlie Richards

As an orphan, Chip had never really had a home or even much to call his own. After being adopted, he’d hoped he’d found acceptance. Unfortunately, a year later, he shifted into his bobcat for the first time and his new parents had thought him possessed. Forced to run, Chip lived mostly as an animal for decades. Having grown up alone in foster care, it hadn’t been much different and he hadn’t thought it too bad...until the day he’d been captured and tortured by scientists. Rescued by Kontra and his gang, Chip finally sees the light at the end of the long, lonely tunnel of his life. Scarred, malnourished, and suffering from panic attacks, Chip struggles to get his body and mind back under control. When the gang visits a pride of lion shifters, Chip meets Grimes, who claims they are mates. Can he manage to get past his hang-ups and grab onto the happiness Grimes offers him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Mar 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781771117937

Book preview

On the Road: Sometimes, learning to get past your own problems, means focusing on someone else.

As an orphan, Chip had never really had a home or even much to call his own. After being adopted, he’d hoped he’d found acceptance. Unfortunately, a year later, he shifted into his bobcat for the first time and his new parents had thought him possessed. Forced to run, Chip lived mostly as an animal for decades. Having grown up alone in foster care, it hadn’t been much different and he hadn’t thought it too bad…until the day he’d been captured and tortured by scientists. Rescued by Kontra and his gang, Chip finally sees the light at the end of the long, lonely tunnel of his life. Scarred, malnourished, and suffering from panic attacks, Chip struggles to get his body and mind back under control. When the gang visits a pride of lion shifters, Chip meets Grimes, who claims they are mates. Can he manage to get past his hang-ups and grab onto the happiness Grimes offers him?

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Catting Around

Copyright © 2014 Charlie Richards

ISBN: 978-1-77111-793-7

Cover art by Angela 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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Smashwords Edition

Catting Around

Kontra’s Menagerie, Book Sixteen

By

Charlie Richards

Dedication

To the person who suggested a shifter teaching his mate to dance. It was a cute idea. I hope you enjoy the result.

Chapter One

People moved outside Chip’s room. He shivered as he listened to the stomping of booted feet and rumbles of masculine voices. He knew all the activity meant the men consisting of Kontra’s gang packed up their stuff so they could head east. Never in a million years did Chip think he’d be part of a shifter biker gang, but here he was.

Hell, six months before, Chip hadn’t even known so many shifters were out there, let alone that there were wolves and bears and…well, so many more than just cats. Now, he was on his way to meet a whole pride of cats. Lions! Lions were a hell of a lot bigger than Chip’s bobcat, and they were both nervous.

A soft tap on the door drew Chip’s attention.

He lifted his head from where he’d rested it on his crossed arms, which were wrapped around his knees. From where he sat, curled up on the room’s window seat, he all but whispered, Come.

Still, it was loud enough. He’d learned so much from Kontra and his new friends…like shifters had better hearing than humans, as well as increased strength, speed, and healing abilities. That’s also why the human scientists had kidnapped him—to run experiments so he could integrate Chip’s abilities into humans.

He shivered at the memory of his time there. More than once, he’d wished for death. Now, he had a new chance at life.

The door swung open and a big, broad-shouldered man with pale blond hair and warm, chocolate eyes slipped into the room. Another man followed the first, this one several inches shorter, leanly muscled, with sparkling blue eyes and messy auburn hair.

Chip smiled at them both. Hey, Emmett, Caleb, he greeted quietly. Are we all about set?

Although he figured he should be out with the rest of them, offering to help, Chip couldn’t seem to manage being around all those big, dominant shifters all at once. After several weeks, it still intimidated him and his bobcat. He trusted them, really he did, and if there were only two or three, he was fine. If there were more than that, Chip struggled against waves of debilitating fear.

Emmett swept a worried gaze over him. Yeah, how are you holding up? You ready?

Chip pointed at the small duffle bag on the bed. Yep.

He didn’t have much, but what he did have, he’d gotten from the other shifters’ generosity. Kontra, the group’s alpha—a massive, grizzly bear shifter—appeared as intimidating as hell with his towering stature, shaggy brown and silver hair, goatee, tattoos, and thickly filled out black biker’s leathers. However, the man genuinely seemed to care for those under his protection and quickly included Chip into those numbers.

Over the last couple of weeks, Emmett and Caleb had spent hours explaining how their motorcycle gang was actually a pack of shifters. He’d been shocked to learn that Caleb turned into a chameleon, but had nearly fallen out of his chair when he’d learned they were headed to visit a pride of lion shifters.

Chip had seriously considered not going, but after much assurance and encouragement from his friends, plus Kontra and his mate, Tim, he’d agreed to stay with the pack. What had truly swayed his decision, though, was the craving of his cat to remain with those that could keep him safe from not only scientists, but also others who’d attempt to abuse him. Hell, he’d been held and abused by the humans for almost two years. Chip sure as shootin’ didn’t want to be among them anytime soon. Chip found that even being in the same room as the humans mated to his fellow shifters