Sanguinary Seduction Hunted

SERIES: Sanguinary Seductions

AUTHOR Laura Tolomei

FACEBOOK THREADS: My Novellas, Laura Tolomei Horror Side

GENRE: Erotica, LGBT Gay, Ménage à Trois, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Shapeshiter, Novella, m/m, m/m/f

ISBN# 9781771115742

ASIN# B00K01NA9C

HEAT LEVEL: 4 flames

PAGES: 69

WORD COUNT: 17.399

RELEASED: 1 July 2013

Originally part of eXtasy’s Anthology Sanguinary Seductions released 15 September 2008

PUBLISHER: eXtasy Books

COVER ARTIST: Martine Jardin

 

 

BLURB

Why is this vicious predator terrorizing the village? Who is Therry, and why does he live deep inside the forest, away from mankind? But mostly, why can’t Kendryck get him out of his mind? As the hunt progresses, so does his fascination with the most intriguing young man the hunter has ever met, until things don’t add up, and Therry’s dark secrets will have to be revealed…eventually.

 

 

Excerpt

“Lucky for us it’s just one.” ‘Cause you could’ve never handled anything more. Not to belittle the Chief’s efforts at assembling a patrol group, but it was far from getting any positive results.

“How can you tell?” A flash of curiosity lit Bryce’s eyes.

“‘Cause each predator leaves a unique signature.” One I’ve learned to decipher. “See these lacerations?” He indicated the large gashes at the base of the neck and on the chest. “That’s the signature I’m talking about.” And he had seen far too many similar corpses to be wrong about the solitary perpetrator that had snuck up behind the young man and brought a swift death. An avoidable one, if only the man had been trained, which unfortunately he hadn’t.

“No, Kendryck, it can’t be the same that has been slaughtering cows, horses and sheep for the last two months.” Obviously having concluded his perusal, Skivet straightened up.

“It is.” Unwilling to pick a fight, still bent on making his point, Kendryck kept his tone even. “Trust me.” Point of fact—of the whole damn team, Kendryck was the only one with field experience. “And after consuming your precious resources, it’s now acquired a taste for human flesh, which is only going to make it more vicious.”

“Yeah, right. That’s why we’re on its tracks.” The meek note told Kendryck something in his words must have hit Skivet deep inside. “Our village can’t take it anymore.”

“Doesn’t even seem to be the same place I grew up in.” Bryce nodded in agreement, a concerned expression clouding his dark eyes. “Everybody’s so afraid now. They hardly leave their homes, and the animals we used to leave free are now chained down, kept inside locked stables.” He shook his head probably at the grim picture he was painting. “I don’t know if you can understand me, Kendryck, being that you’re not a native and just recently moved in.”

“Oh, I understand all right.” He had known countless such villages, all set in peaceful farming areas that relied on their crops and livestock, all well-adjusted communities growing steadily until their overpowering needs had upset the natural order of things. And that was the real problem. “I’ve seen plenty other places just like this.” So what if animals and vegetation tried to hang on? Their number was dwindling fast everywhere, along with the available space.

“Never settled down uh?” Skivet retreated until his back rested against a tree trunk like before Kendryck had begun his investigation.

“I’m not the type.” No, definitely not. “It’s not…hem…what do you call it?” Restlessly roaming the countryside, he had changed one town after another in an attempt to find…actually, he had no idea himself. “Not my cup of tea.” Nothing seemed to satisfy him except perhaps life in the wild. “I like being more in the open.” He inhaled the heavy scent he loved so much. “And I’ve seen too many villages already.” His gaze dropped to the blotchy ground below. “And too many predators.” Which was the reason he was a hunter and they were not.

“So you must’ve seen your fair share of brutal attacks and ugly deaths in your time.” As if impressed, Bryce’s eyes widened.
“A few…” Truth was—a bloody trail seemed to follow and eventually catch up with Kendryck, no matter where he went. “Nothing quite like this though.” Apparently peaceful before his arrival, villages experienced violent deaths, usually blamed on a predator of some kind that had suddenly awakened its taste for human flesh. “But I guess it’s a natural escalation given the situation.” This last village was no exception. Settling in a couple of months before had coincided with the first bloodshed, a coincidence that hadn’t escaped his notice. If it meant something, he had no idea what it could be, clueless as to the possible connection with the other occurrences or to him in particular.

“So, based on your experience, why are these beasts leaving the forest and preying on our animals?” Skivet’s tone was vaguely ironic.

“When not on our humans.” While Bryce’s held no trace of challenge.

It’s our fault ‘cause we’re too greedy. “It’s obvious nature’s balance has been upset.” So she’s striking back. Knowing how little people liked to hear certain things, he usually kept his deep-rooted opinions to himself. “And when it does, lives are caught in the middle.” Undeniably, the carnivore had tried its luck on the humans’ farms, or rather, one particularly vicious killer. “Like Derrynt’s here.” Still, the mauled body at his feet didn’t seem to fit inside the balance and neither did the indiscriminate cattle slaughter that had been plaguing the village lately. No, something wasn’t right, at least here, inside the thick woodland now smelling of blood mixed with the murky odor of decaying leaves, stale water, darkly humid spots. Unlike the other places he had lived in, the men’s space here wasn’t as extended, not as far-reaching to cramp wild life into leaving the safety of the backwoods. So why would any beast, one of prey no less, dare attack humans and their belongings?