Sullivan (Leopard's Spots 7)

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Sullivan

ISBN # 978-1-78184-169-3

©Copyright Bailey Bradford 2012

Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright November 2012

Edited by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning:

This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a
heat rating
of
Total-e-melting
and a
sexometer
of
3.

This story contains 137 pages, additionally there is also a
free excerpt
at the end of the book containing 3 pages.

Leopard’s Spots SULLIVAN Bailey Bradford

Book seven in the Leopard’s Spots Series

Sully Ward was excited about going away to college. A little worried, but mostly excited. He had no
idea what an adventure was awaiting him.

In San Antonio, Sully would find a friend, and lose him. He’d find a mate, and lose him, too—but not for long.

Bobby Baker knows he’s a contrary wolf shifter. He likes things to be on his own terms, and even when good things happen, unless he’s made the decision for them to happen, he can be a total ass.

When he meets his mate, the connection is hot, scorchingly so. It still pisses him off, and he acts like a fool because of it.

Sully won’t let him go so easily—and neither will someone else. Someone is out to cause Bobby trouble, and they succeed in hurting someone Sully cares about when trying to get to Bobby.

Unless they work together, they will lose the most precious thing in their world…

To Diane, thank you for the hug!

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

X-Box: Microsoft

UTSA: University of Texas at San Antonio

Harley: H-D

Oscar: Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Toyota: Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.

YouTube: Google Inc.

Sullivan Ward watched the smooth rock he’d thrown skip across the glassy surface of the lake. He counted six decent hops, then the stone sank with a
plop
on the seventh. Ripples spread out from the point of entrance, and he wondered what the overall effect was on the lake. Did the ripples cease when he could no longer see them, or did they continue on in some miniscule way, maybe even under the surface? Were there fish and other critters being disturbed by his melancholy mood?

A duck flapped its wings then took flight, perhaps irritated by Sully’s stone-skipping, or merely his presence. Sully frowned as he squinted, putting a hand above his eyes to shield them from the sun. It took him a second to focus as he tried to make out what kind of duck it was, but soon he saw the white patches on its wings, and he had his answer.

“Black-bellied whistling duck,” he murmured, surprised to see one on the lake. It was only the third time in his twenty-three years that he’d encountered the odd duck. Well, odd to him. The white bar of feathers on the wings were distinctive, but they’d always looked almost creepy to him with those long pink legs. He looked for another black-bellied whistler and was saddened not to find one.

The ducks tended to be monogamous for the most part, pairing up for years, which was more common in swans and geese, as far as he knew. Sully wasn’t an ornithologist by any means, but he did like to read and research.

Sully hoped the duck hadn’t lost its mate. Maybe it was a young bird—and why was he stressing over a damn duck? Sully sniffed and tipped his chin up. He closed his eyes and dropped his hand to his side as a cool breeze wafted over him. The scent of the water filled him, adding to his melancholy. He was going to miss this place, but he had to leave.

Attending UTSA had been a dream of his for ages. Their geological programme might not be listed as one of the top three in the nation, but for whatever reason, Sully had always wanted to attend the large college.

Actually, Sully knew exactly why he’d focused on the University of Texas at San Antonio. He’d had a neighbour—an old, old man who’d passed away years before. But the man, Mr Gustav, had spent hours showing Sully rocks and fossils, telling stories Sully still remembered every word of. Mr Gustav had taught at UTSA until he’d retired. Sully supposed he’d had a doctorate or two, but the man had never said anything about it. He’d just been nice to Sully, giving him attention when he often felt forgotten.

Mr Gustav probably wouldn’t have been so nice to him if he’d known what Sully really was. Well, Sully and his family. They were snow leopard shifters, which, in all fairness, would likely freak out anyone who wasn’t a shifter. And, much like the duck Sully had watched take flight, his kind also mated for life, apparently. That was a relatively new discovery—much of their family heritage had been lost when his Grandma Marybeth’s entire clan had been slaughtered in the Himalayas decades ago. Marybeth had been too young to have learned much about what she was, and so it was still a learning process for all of her family.

It was weird to think that if Grandma Marybeth hadn’t been sick that day long ago, she’d have been killed right along with the other snow leopard shifters. Then Sully wouldn’t be here, and neither would his parents, his siblings…

Sully derailed that train of thought. He wasn’t up to being all deep and moody. Besides, he was leaving for San Antonio soon, and his whole reason for coming out to the lake was to think of the perfect prank to pull on his younger brother Wesley. No way could Sully leave without getting the little shit good. Sully knew he might not be the brightest bulb in the pack, but he wasn’t as dumb as people thought, and he had a wicked sense of humour.

The idea that came to him then wasn’t his best prank ever, but it’d be good, and he wouldn’t have to work too hard to accomplish it. The challenge would be getting Wesley away from his bedroom, but if Sully could do that, well… Sully chuckled and tossed another stone, imagining Wesley’s reaction to the plan spinning in Sully’s mind.

* * * *

“Did you pack your toothbrush?”

Sully slapped down the little niggle of frustration he felt upon hearing his mom’s question. He knew this was hard on her. He plastered on a smile as he turned around to face her. “Yeah, Mom, and I took a new one, too, so I have one to swap out in three months.” That practice had been drilled in him for twenty years now.

His mom’s face scrunched up and her eyes turned watery. “You’ll be back for a visit before then, maybe if you have a long weekend. I can—” Sully’s heart just about broke and whatever irritation he had been experiencing over his mother’s clinginess vanished under the threat of seeing her cry again. He was in front of her and holding her in two strides. “I’ll be back every time I get a break from college, Mom. I will. And you can come to San Antonio and visit me. We’ll do the tourist thing and eat a lot of Mexican food, walk along the River Walk, remember the Alamo…” His mom sniffled and clung to him for a moment, then she pulled back and wiped at her eyes. “I’m being ridiculous, I know it. But you’re my baby—I don’t care if you are twenty-three. You’ll always be my baby, and I want you to go.” She gave him a weak smile.

“I just also want you to stay.”

Sully knew she wanted what was best for him. His mom was great, the best mom in the world and if that made him a mama’s boy, so be it. “It’s not forever, and UTSA is a good college. Thank you.”

She patted his shoulder. “You’re welcome. I’m glad we didn’t have to dip into your college fund when your dad lost his job. This economy…” She shook her head and tsked.

“Well, at least he found another job quicker than most people have, even if it pays less. We have nothing to complain about. Now—” She got herself together in an instant, something Sully had seen his mother do numerous times throughout his life. He admired her ability to not let anything bring her down. “You make sure to shift only when you are a hundred percent certain it’s safe. In fact, I’d rather you only do it here or at your grandmother’s. I know you’re responsible, but you’ll be in a big city and—”

“It’s okay, Mom. I won’t do anything stupid, and I probably won’t have the time to shift anyway, and where would I do it?” Sully shrugged. Being a snow leopard shifter was cool and all, but it definitely wasn’t something you shared with anyone besides another shifter.

“It’s not like I’m going to shift and run through downtown San Antonio—” He shut up at his mother’s look. That one hand on her hip position and the way her eyebrows winged up to form a ‘V’ was never, ever a good thing.

“Don’t think you’ve grown too big for me to swat,” she warned, pointing a finger at him. “I’m your mother”—as if he could ever forget—“and you will watch that attitude, young man.”

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry.” He wasn’t about to argue. “I meant it as a joke, Mom. Just so you know.”

She seemed to deflate right in front of him, the flight of her righteous indignation pulling her shoulders down and making her look worn-out as she rubbed at her brow. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just… I’d heard of empty nest syndrome and thought I was ready for it, but this is…hard.”

Sully pulled her in for another hug. “You don’t have an empty nest. Sheila is only twelve, and Wesley might be eighteen but he’s liable to never move out as long as you keep feeding him and letting him play the X-Box.”

“That boy,” she sighed, holding him tightly. “And maybe the nest isn’t empty, but you’re my oldest and the first to fly, baby, and even though it’s breaking my heart, I am so, so proud of you.”

Well, damn it, he was going to end up blubbering like the baby she’d just called him if she kept that up.

“I know, enough with the mother hen act.” She sniffed twice then patted him before the hug was over. “Now, just, you get ready and I’ll be downstairs getting some things together for you so you don’t starve. I know you aren’t going to eat right…”

“Okay, Mom, but, uh…” Sully scratched at the fuzz on his chin when his mom arched an eyebrow at him.

“I know that tone,” she said. “What have you done?”

“Nothing,” Sully began, only to try again under the glare she levelled on him. “Ah, okay. I can’t leave without getting Wes, you know. That’s all I was going to warn you about.