Want to meet The Beast of Birch Hill...?
Here's your chance...
Blurb
Wildlife
photographer and cryptozoology blogger Emma Jordan came to Birch Hill expecting
to find another urban legend. The rumours of a big cat stalking the woods
around this quiet town surely had to be just that - rumours. But when the
evidence starts to pile up that Birch Hill really does have a killer cat on the
loose, Emma finds herself caught in a confusing game of cat and mouse. And her
blossoming relationship with Abi Blakely might just be pushing her further into
danger.
Available from – http://www.evernightpublishing.com/
Excerpt
Emma
awoke in a tangle of sheets to the sound of running water. She sat up,
finger-combing her knotted hair, and looked around for Abi. The door to the en
suite was open and she could just make out Abi's silhouette behind the frosted
glass shower door. Her pussy throbbed, an almost Pavlovian reaction, and for a
second she contemplated slipping in there with her.
Then her phone, discarded along with
her jeans last night, started ringing. Cursing, but unable to ignore it, she
leaned over the side of the bed to grab it. An unfamiliar number flashed on the
screen.
“Hello?”
“What happened last night? Where
were you?”
It took her sleep-hazed brain a
second to recognize the voice, and a second longer to realize Jed wasn't asking
her about her sex life. “Something came up. I couldn't make it out there. Why
do you care anyway?” she asked, realizing she sounded rude just a little too
late. “I mean, we hadn't planned to go up to the woods together, after all.”
“No, but I went anyway. You city
folks, you think you know the woods, you think you're gonna be safe, but you
don't know shit, so I went to keep an eye on you. And guess what?”
“You wasted your night? I'm sorry,
Jed, but—”
“There was another kill!” he said,
almost triumphantly.
Emma stilled. “A cat kill?”
“That's right. Big old deer, just
slaughtered and left on the trail. If you'd been out there with your camera
like you said, you'd have caught it all.”
“There's no guarantee of that,” Emma
said. “But I'd like to come and have a look now, see if there are any more paw
prints or anything.”
“Well, the deer isn't going
anywhere,” Jed said. “Meet you at the trail's start in an hour, if you can make
time for it.”
He hung up without waiting for her
reply. Emma swore softly and tossed the phone across the bed just as Abi emerged
from the shower. The sight of her wrapped in a mint green towel, her dark hair
dripping water down her cleavage, was briefly distracting.
“What's up?” Abi asked.
“Jed just called. He found a deer
kill in the woods – the Beast strikes again, I guess. He's annoyed I wasn't out
there to capture it all on tape.”
Abi frowned. “That can't be right.”
“What can't?”
“The Beast, the cat – I mean...it
can't...didn't you just go see a kill yesterday? Cats don't hunt that often,
surely?”
“This one seems to be killing for
fun,” Emma said, climbing out of bed. “So I guess I should go take a look.”
Abi clutched at her towel,
expression worried. “If you did find it, or get it on film or whatever, what
then? What would you do?”
Emma shrugged. “I wouldn't do
anything except blog about it. I'm not out to capture the Beast or kill it or
anything. But if I do get proof of an alien big cat out here, I want to talk
about it!” Her initial lack of enthusiasm at Jed's call was fading away. The
thought of uncovering a mystery, even a small one, and sharing the answer with
the world, was irresistible. And sure, there would be a mundane explanation –
escaped zoo animal, abandoned exotic pet – but it would still be part of the
bigger puzzle. That was worth getting excited about.
She went to kiss Abi as she passed
to use the shower, but Abi barely seemed to notice. She was still frowning,
staring at the bed they'd shared last night as if it suddenly just materialized
there.
“Abi? You okay?” Emma touched her
arm lightly and Abi jumped.
“No. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I'm fine. I
just...hey.” She looked up at Emma, chewing her lip. “Could I come with you?”
“You wanna come see a dead deer?”
Abi smiled. “Sure. Maybe I can make
it into dinner later.”
Emma laughed, but a touch of unease
crept over her. The feeling didn't make sense, so she tried to ignore it. “I
don't see why not. It's probably not going to be any fun though, with Jed
there.”
“That's fine. I never expect dead things to be fun.”
About the Author
Naomi likes
writing, perfume, fancy tea, and unfathomable monsters from the dark spaces
between the stars, not necessarily in that order. She has been writing stories
ever since she learned how to write, but is still trying to master the art of
biography writing. When she's not dealing with werewolves, demons, or sea
monsters, she's hanging out with her cat and probably watching a documentary
about Bigfoot. If the cat isn't available, she's with her fiancé watching
cookery shows and silently plotting her next book.
Find me online:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/naomi_jay
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/naomijclark
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