Cats Can be Protective, Too by Vivien Dean

One of my earliest memories is from when I was four. We had a Siamese cat named Taki--short for Takamoi--who acted like he was a dog. He guarded me and my siblings from strangers, waited at the door for us whenever we left the apartment, and raced to get into the car for a ride whenever we went out. He was a huge cat, too. I don't mean fat. I mean tall and sturdy and big enough to scare people who didn't know him. 

But what I remember most about Taki was his protectiveness. He was the sweetest, gentlest cat when we were alone, but as soon as someone walked up who he didn't like, he went on alert. He parked himself in front of us, and that was it. Nobody was getting close.

So when the Beware the Beast SuperPax came around, I knew I wanted to write about a cat shapeshifter who just wanted to protect people. And what better model for me to use than Taki? But as unpredictable as housecats can be, I wanted something a little more dangerous. Lion? Nah, I wanted to set it in the US. What about cougar, then? Maybe, they're certainly beautiful creatures.

Then I realized my story was about magic. And magic users. And what would a magic user be without a black cat sidekick?

Thus, Rowan Bouchard, the black panther familiar, was born.

Savage Estate is a story about discovery. Everybody has something to learn. Alec, who discovers he's got magic, family, and a heritage he knew nothing about. Rowan, who discovers a world beyond the estate he grew up on, the true depths of his nature, and how duty isn't always as simple as it seems. Together, they navigate what it means to be partners, friends, and then more, before the world they're forced to inhabit takes it all away from them.

I think Taki would be proud of what he inspired.

For his twenty-fifth birthday, Alec Savage gets the gift of a lifetime—the chance to meet his father for the very first time. What he finds upon his arrival in Washington, DC, however, is a smashed window, an empty house, and a scrawled note with only his name and a phone number on it. Panicked, he dials the number and talks to an uncle he never knew he had, one who insists Alec is in danger if he stays in the house. That’s when everything starts to get really weird.

Within minutes, he’s teleported all the way to nowhere Montana, in the company of the most gorgeous guy he’s ever seen, hearing about how he’s the latest mage in the Savage line. Alec doesn’t want to believe Rowan Bouchard, but it’s hard to argue with the reality of his new snowbound location or the confirmation from the uncle who greets him. He even thinks staying on the estate while they hunt for his father won’t be so bad if he has Rowan as eye candy.

Except Rowan is more than that. He’s a shifter, the most beautiful black panther Alec could imagine. And according to his Uncle Martin, he’s now Alec’s familiar, too...

*_*_*

Savage Estate by Vivien Dean is now available at Amber Allure.

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