Although veterinary technician Carlton is violently allergic to cats, he loves them with an undying passion, enough to tolerate miserable symptoms to keep working with the felines in the San Maribal Zoo. The cheetahs especially fascinate him. Then he meets a mysterious stranger who is evasive about why he’s in the zoo -- nude and after hours! This man tells Carl there’s a cat inside him wanting to get out. That sounds really crazy, and the suggested way to make it happen even crazier ... but exciting.<br><br>Zyl is a member of the ancient shifter tribe, or Were-Kind. His people are working to enforce humane treatment of animals and save endangered species. Hearing of a planned raid by an extreme animal rights group to free the denizens of zoos, they realize this will a real catastrophe. Joining forces with regular humans to avert the problem will mean “coming out” as the powerful beings they are. Again, a potential disaster.<br><br>Attracted to Carlton against his better judgment, Zyl teams up with the vet tech he meets under awkward circumstances only to discover a valuable ally and a soul mate.

Catastrophe

Although he glimpsed others of the cheetah pride, he did not see the one male. A female with two cubs was teaching her babies hunting skills. The caretakers released rabbits every evening to let the cheetahs get some of their own food in a natural way. As Carl watched, the mother made a dash for a rabbit. The little critter didn’t have a chance. She could go from zero to sixty miles per hour in a couple of seconds. Although the rabbit could dodge, this one was caught in the open and just ran. It was over in a heartbeat. Mama and babies gulped the fresh meat.


Although Carl felt a twinge of sympathy for the prey, he knew this was a natural thing, and although rabbits might not be the normal source of four-footed food for the cats, they served the purpose here. Then he heard a slight sound behind him. He wheeled around and caught sight of the same strange man. Dressed this time instead of nude, he approached, moving in a graceful glide, almost too smooth to be natural.


Chapter 7