One of my goals this year was to post more on my own blog. I used to do that a lot by participating in weekly author hops where we shared snippets of our works-in-progress, or simply by creating my own weekly or monthly posts. I'd gotten away from those any many other things last year, but I'm trying to revive some things again. 

Since the seventh book in my Shifter Towers series released last month, and some of the others in the series were on sale as well, I wanted to take you for a tour of the towers, share the businesses that are inside each one. If I lived in Saramto, I would definitely take the LRT to the towers to do some shopping and maybe catch sight of a pop artist while I am there.

Shifter Towers consists of three 70-storey skyscrapers located in the center of Saramto. While they all look the same from the outside, the inside of the buildings are very different. There is a courtyard that connects them all with Main Street on one side of the buildings and the main station for the light rail transit system to the rear of the buildings. While towers one and two have a large bank of elevators just off the concourse on the main floor, tower three is much more secure due to the businesses inside.

Tower One is home to many businesses including the following:

• NJ Fresh Foods on the main floor with the head office on the 30th floor
• a medical clinic on the second floor
• a doctor's office on the 17th floor
• a coding school on the 20th floor
• Saramto Shifter News Network on the 68th to the 70th floors

The stories that relate to Tower One the most are:

• Pika Omega Plus One
• Fox Trapped

While Tower Three is home to many businesses, the main business that takes up many floors is Adan Records. Because of the nature of their business and those who work for them, anyone who wants to go beyond the lobby of the building must have a security card or be approved by reception. The main offices are on the second floor while recording studios, dance practice studios and more are higher up. There is a gift shop on the main floor where fans can buy albums and other artist merch. This store opened after the closing of Kathie's Music and Merch in Tower Two.

The stories that relate to Tower Three the most are:

• Bunny Omega on the Run
• His Omega on Stage
• Memories of Us

You may have noticed that Demon on Jackson Street wasn't mentioned under any of the towers. That's because it isn't set in any of the towers. It's set in an area of Saramto that's previously mentioned in several of the books. It's slightly different than the others in the series, but is still set in Saramto.

Today's First Chapter Friday is from BUNNY OMEGA ON THE RUN. It is the first book in my Shifter Towers series, and the first of 9 MPreg stories that I have written thus far. I have always loved tigers, and I have had many rabbits as pets, so it was fun to have them interacting together as shifters in this story. This story also deals with class differences, celebrity life, and finding your fated mate. It's available for 99¢ USD at Amazon as the series starter and is in Kindle Unlimited. I hope you'll check it out!

Kish

I eyed the barrel of the 9mm pointed at my face. Clutching my hands behind me, I tried to hide the excessive shaking throughout my body. “It’s okay. You can pay me later. I’ll...I’ll just be going.” Anything to get away from there alive.

The lanky, bald man in the black suit clicked the safety off. “There won’t be another time.”

Without waiting for a shot to be fired, I spun around and bolted down the street. I had no time to shift. I simply ran. Over fences. Through yards. Down one alley after another. I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. My mom and siblings depended on me. I couldn’t help them if I was dead.

After what felt like forever, my thighs burned and chest ached. I had to stop. Or at least slow down. But I didn’t know if I was still being pursued. I dared a glance behind me. No one. Thank fuck! It was time to slow down. Shift and find a place to hide.

Smack!

I slammed into something hard. Someone hard. Liquid terror filled my veins. Somehow the guy in the suit had outsmarted me. I was dead. Gone. No chance to say goodbye to my family. My knees gave out, and I crumpled toward the ground. But strong arms caught me, lifted me back up. Did the man want to stare in my face when he killed me?

“Whoa, whoa. It’s okay, little omega. I won’t hurt you.” The man pulled me closer. Tight into his broad chest.

And that’s when I smelled the wild, rugged scent. A predator. Not the human who had been chasing me, but a tiger. I was in the arms of one of the most dangerous types of shifters in the world. But when I dared a glance up into his eyes, I only saw a concerned alpha. One whom I instantly recognized. TK. The pop star dominating all of the music charts. I’d had no idea he wasn’t human.

Filled with a new fear, I slowly backed away. Being anywhere near the star, I’d have more than one man with a gun after me. If he didn’t take me out, someone else would.

But TK didn’t let go so easily. He cupped my elbows, keeping me steady. “What were you running from?”

I didn’t answer. Behind TK, men in black suits—not cheap knockoffs like my pursuer had worn, but actual designer brands—eyed me, waiting for me to do something stupid.

Needing to prove I offered no harm, I shifted. In my shifted form, there was no way I could harm their charge.

I expected to fall to the ground and hop away. But TK didn’t let go of me. He held my scruff. “Oh my! You are the most gorgeous bunny I have ever seen. Just as beautiful as when you were in your human form.” He released his grip and stroked behind my shoulders. Then in between my ears. “You are just adorable with one ear up and one ear down.”

More like disfigured. My rabbit was a lop, supposed to have both ears down. But what did a tiger know about bunnies except how to eat them? Maybe he was buttering me up to do that later.

“TK! What are you doing? We’re filming here, remember?”

At the stern voice, I pushed up on my hind feet and rested my front paws on TK’s shoulder. Glancing behind him, I saw another man storming toward us. Not just any man. He was a shifter, too. A wolf. Their scent was pungently strong. And they often weren’t far from their pack. Were the guards, the betas and omegas to the alpha, getting closer and closer?

“I’m just relaxing with my bunny friend here.” He grabbed my scruff again and turned me onto my back.

“The only thing those rodents are good for is a meal for my wolf,” the other man growled as he kicked my clothes to the side.

Not if I had anything to do with it. TK smacked the other guy and, while he was distracted, I leaped to the ground. As soon as I had solid footing, I scrambled for the closest dark space. Under a dumpster. I thought about continuing out the other side and dashing far away, but I was still tired from my previous escape.

“Hey!” Another voice. One I recognized from only a short time ago. The guy with the gun. “Have either of you seen a little punk in a black hoodie run through here?”

I peered out from under the dumpster, ready to run again.

TK shoved the wolf shifter back then rounded on the guy with the gun. “First of all, don’t you dare show up on my music video set waving a gun around.”

The man instantly tucked his gun into his belt. “S-sorry, sir.” He bowed and backed up. “I’m simply looking for a young kid who wronged me in a deal. Have you seen him come through here?”

Wronged him? The only person wronged in the deal was me. They got their package delivered and the other half of the money I was promised upon delivery. But I wasn’t about to come out of hiding to say so.

“I did.” TK glared at the man. “He ran right into me then ran that way.” When TK pointed to the alley across the street, the man took off immediately.

But the wolf shifter shook his head. “Why did you send that guy in the wrong direction? That punk did him wrong. Plus, he shed all over your outfit. You should have let the dumb bunny suffer.”

“I don’t think so.” TK glanced toward the dumpster as if looking for me. “He was running for his life, not because he cheated someone. Plus, he was kind of cute.”

The wolf shifter rolled his eyes. “Shit, TK. It’s comments like that that make me wonder why I put up with you.”

“It’s because I make you a lot of money, Conn.” TK shoved past him and away from me. “Don’t forget that.”

Interesting. TK really did think I was cute, and had just saved my life. I’d never really listened to his music before, preferring alternative rock over his genre-bending pop. Though when I managed to get home, I was going to buy all his songs. Actually, I’d have to wait until I got paid from my real job next since today’s side deal went bad. But I would buy them. I had to pay him back for helping me.

My stomach rumbled. I was hungry. Needed to eat. But there were too many production people around to make a clean escape. I couldn’t risk it. Even though TK didn’t hand me over, one of them might.

Front paws outstretched, I rested my chin on them and watched the production happen. TK strolled down the street looking like a runway god, lip-syncing while his music played around him. It was a slow ballad, this time, and his soulful voice dug deep inside me as he sung about the sacrifices people make for love. Sacrifices I knew about. Not the romantic type, but for my family. Though I didn’t live at home anymore, I still helped my mother to pay her bills. My dad left us long ago, but with ten brothers and sisters, my mom couldn’t do it on her own. She worked three jobs while my oldest sister, Fleur, took care of the younger ones. I worked for a delivery service, but, on the side, I did some deliveries of not-so-legal goods that couldn’t leave an electronic trail. I had an unregistered phone for them, and no names were ever given. No texts, either. Just a quick phone call with an address and a dollar amount. As the oldest child, I had to help my mom somehow. And though she never asked how I got the money, she always told me how much she appreciated my help.

I returned my attention to the street. This time, TK wasn’t alone. And instead of walking, he was running. Toward a woman. When he reached her, he held her close, the way he’d held me, and kissed her. Not a quick peck, but much deeper. More intimate. Loving. A kiss that I only ever saw in movies. Ones my coworkers made me watch when we had our monthly movie night, because I would never watch such crap on my own. I preferred explosions, shootouts, and running for one’s life. But on screen. Not when I was part of it.

The kiss happened again. As if it wasn’t enough the first time. My chest suddenly exploded in pain. I flopped onto my side, trying to get it to end. Tears of agony streamed from my eyes. Was I dying? Rabbits didn’t live that long. Had my time finally come? I tried to move, get out from beneath the dumpster so I could shift back to my human form. But the strain was too much. So I just lay there, waiting for death to take me away. Today I wouldn’t die from a gunshot, but simply from being an old rabbit.

I didn’t die. Eventually the pain subsided. And my stomach decided to remind me how hungry I was once again. I peeked out from under the dumpster. TK was still on the street. This time in a long trench coat with tall, black leather boots. A look I liked even more than the previous burnt-orange dress shirt and pleated black pants. And the woman was gone. Somehow that made me relieved. But I couldn’t stay and watch anymore. I needed nourishment. A package of ramen noodles waited for me at home. Not much, but enough to satisfy my growling belly.

I hopped to the other side of the dumpster, made sure I had a clear path to the next street over then dashed away. Once I reached the adjacent alley, I shifted back to my human form then raced for home. Tomorrow I had to work a fourteen-hour shift at my legal job, so I needed to sleep after I ate and had a shower. Running into TK was nice, but it wasn’t as if I ever would again.