Cheryl Brooks | Fugitives and Wildcats

Since there are now nine books in the Cat Star Chronicles series, we're doing a "Nine Lives" blog tour, highlighting each book as we hop from site to site throughout the month of February. For many of these posts, I've chosen a favorite scene from one of the earlier books, along with a teaser excerpt from the latest release, WILDCAT. This stop at Fresh Fiction coincides with book five in the series, FUGITIVE.

Renowned wildlife artist Drusilla Chevrault was drawn to Barada Seven by its fabulous birds, but finds a far more interesting subject in Manx Panteris, a sexy Zetithian who has been on the run from his enemies for the past twenty years.

Now that Manx has chosen Drusilla as his mate, others have tracked him down, and in the race to find the last Zetithian, the winner will determine whether he loves or dies...

The sky might have been purple, the lake might have sparkled like a million diamonds, but Manx was the one who had drawn her eye, and she sat on her stool, sketching his outline before reaching for her paints, nearly breathless with excitement. There was something mesmerizing about the way his hand held the spear, the way the breeze stirred his hair, and the perfection of his form. He was mysterious, dangerous, and sensuous all at the same time. Drusilla wasn't sure she could capture all of that completely, but she painted as she had never done before; the stroke of her brush swift and sure, the colors seeming to blend perfectly all by themselves, while the whole world grew hushed and still as though trying to hold that pose.

Intent on her work, Drusilla suddenly realized that Manx was no longer there—which didn't matter because she had moved on to the background by then—but the light was also nearly gone. Somehow, Klog must have known not to disturb her, with the result that her stomach was now grumbling in protest. Pausing for a moment to study her work, she realized that it wasn't just a picture of a man holding a spear, it was a portrait of a hunter: perfect in symmetry, breathtaking with raw, undiluted power, and alive with cunning. It was as if, seeing that depiction of him, you knew he would not miss; his aim would be true, his quarry as good as caught.

Drusilla shivered as she gazed at it, knowing that no painting she'd ever done could even begin to compare. The odd thing was, she could scarcely remember doing it; it was as if someone else had taken on the task, working through her, using only her hands to create it. She was looking at a work of art far beyond her own capabilities— something that only a great master could have accomplished—and yet, she knew she had done it herself.

Hearing a footstep behind her, Drusilla realized that not only had Klog left her undisturbed for an entire day, but Zef and Manx had too. Her shoulder was nearly frozen in place and her fingers felt cramped and numb.

"I caught some birds for you," Manx said proudly. "Real pretty ones."

"Thank you," Drusilla said faintly. "But I don't think I'll need them."

"What do you mean?" Manx demanded. He'd worked very hard at his self-appointed task and felt a twinge of resentment that she wouldn't appreciate his efforts on her behalf.

"Look," she said, pointing to the canvas.

Manx was no art critic, but even so, what he saw astonished him. The painting was by no means finished, but the impact was complete.

"It's me," he said softly. "Is that really how you see me?"

"It's the way you are," she replied.

"Really?" Manx would never have thought that any painting of himself would hit him in the gut quite so hard. It was like looking into his own soul.

Drusilla nodded slowly. "Manx," she said quietly. "I've just been inspired to create my masterpiece. I don't need birds anymore. I only need you."

To bring you up to speed on WILDCAT, here's a brief synopsis:

Jerden Morokovitz has been marketing his sexual prowess in a brothel on Rhylos. When his employee is killed by an insane woman who wants her job, Jerden is no longer able to function in his chosen profession. Wanting nothing more to do with women, he returns to Terra Minor and lives in a remote region with a black leopard as his only companion.

Horse breeder Sara Shield has a similar attitude toward men, but when her prized stallion winds up on Jerden's land, their paths cross and the healing process begins. Unfortunately, there are others involved who are determined to keep them apart—at any cost.

Sara spent the rest of the day working with the young horses and doing her best to put the morning's events out of her mind. However, by late afternoon, her anxiety level had reached the point that her icy hands could barely hold the reins and her gaze had darted toward the southern horizon so often her neck ached. None of the horses were going well for her, either. When she finally spotted Jerden and Danuban trotting down the hill with Cria bounding alongside them and felt herself relax, she realized why she'd been having so much trouble—particularly with Yusuf, whom she'd regrettably chosen to ride last. Horses didn't like tense, nervous riders and her rush of relief was so intense even Yusuf heaved a sigh.

Coming to a halt, Sara didn't bother trying to be subtle and turned toward them, her eyes drinking in the vision of man, horse, and cat. Poetry in motion, animal magnetism, nature at its finest... It didn't matter that she'd seen this sight before—the effect was even stronger now, making her scalp tighten as a thrill swept down her neck and shoulders. Captivating, entrancing, awe-inspiring, and just plain... "Beautiful."

Yusuf stood perfectly still and alert, a brief flick of his right ear the only evidence that he'd even heard her whisper—or felt her subsequent shiver. Like her, his attention was fixed on the approaching horse and rider.

Rather than slackening his pace, Jerden urged the stallion to pick up speed as they neared the arena. Sara's breath caught in her throat as Jerden rocked forward, his hands fisted in the thick mane as Danuban gathered himself to soar over the fence in a perfect arc. Landing as lightly as the leopard beside them, they made a quick turn and trotted over to where she sat motionless in the saddle. The man certainly knew how to make an entrance.

Jerden grinned, displaying his fangs. "Did you miss me?"

When Sara first meets Jerden, he's riding her missing stallion—no bridle, no saddle, no clothes. If faced with that situation, what would you say to him?

Comment below to win a copy of FUGITIVE

WILDCAT BY CHERYL BROOKS - IN STORES FEBRAURY 2013

BOOK 9 IN THE CAT STAR CHRONICLES

Only One Woman Can Tame Him...

When horse breeder Sara Shield encounters Jerden Morokovitz riding naked and bareback, she's stunned by the magnificence of both man and stallion. But Sara came to Terra Minor hoping to get away from all the men.

If She Can Give Up Her Fear...

The murder of Jerden's lover by a deranged woman has left this former star attraction of the Zetithian Palace brothel shattered in mind and body. Jerden is sure that Sara can heal his anguish—but not unless he can find the key to her heart.

"Scorching hot... a book that keeps you turning pages..." —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

"Brooks gives Jerden and Sara over two hundred pages to become real, believable, and important to the reader before their relationship evolves into a highly erotic sexual one." —Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cheryl Brooks is the award-winning romance writer of the very sexy sci-fi romance series, The Cat Star Chronicles. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and lives with her husband, two sons, five cats, five horses and one dog in Indiana. The tenth book in the Cat Star Chronicles, RASCAL, will be in stores in 2014! For more information, please visit http://cherylbrooksonline.com/ or follower her on Twitter: @CherylCatMaster.

To Purchase WILDCAT: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Chapters/Indigo | Discover a New Love | Sourcebooks

Follow Along the 9 Lives Book Blogger Hop!

Each blog will feature a different book in the Cat Star Chronicles series, culminating on Cheryl's blog with a giveaway extravaganza!
2/13 Fresh Fiction: FUGITIVE
2/19 Author Sound Relations: HERO
2/21 Sizzling Hot Book Reviews: VIRGIN
2/25 Long and Short Reviews: STUD
2/27 Love Romance Passion: WILDCAT
2/28 Cheryl Brooks Erotic Blogspot: Grand Prize Giveaway!

Friendly Warning-Cheryl's blog is NOT for the faint of heart—she didn't call it erotic for nothing! :-)