GENRE: Gay Interracial Paranormal Spicy Romance
LENGTH: 25,565 words
RATING:

Garen and Luke are called into investigate a particularly bloody murder. Their investigation leads them to a gang whose members are being targeted by a demonic entity.

Concerned at not hearing from his older brother, Kartik calls his mother’s home. She assures him all is well, but he doesn’t get to see Sunil, even though he’s sure his brother is nearby.

Two worlds are about to collide as the human desire for vengeance merges with a demonic need for flesh. Can the beast be found before it unleashes its appetite on the innocent and guilty alike?

EXCERPT:
Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.

With his usual efficiency of movement, Garen strode to his captain’s office. He tapped on the door and waited for Thomas’s shout. He entered to the aroma of strong coffee, and nodded as Thomas indicated the pot.

“Thanks. I take it, I won’t like what’s coming next.” Garen poured his drink and sat opposite Thomas, whose grim expression verified his instinct.

“I have a new body in the morgue.” Thomas sipped at his own coffee. “Not a pleasant sight. The cover story is that he was mauled by a dog that we’ve had destroyed.”

“Mauled?” Garen asked.

“Disembowelled. Some of his major organs literally gouged from his body. Part or mostly eaten. Chunks of flesh bitten from limbs that we can only assume were also consumed.”

“I can see why you didn’t think I’d like it. Has the hallmarks of a ghoul.” Garen grimaced.

“Yes, it does. But the victim was part of a local gang. Not one of the patched varieties, but still known to police. They aren’t shedding tears, but it was suggested that it could have been payback for their criminal activities.”

“Really?” Garen raised an eyebrow, but Thomas snorted.

“Not that I believe that for a moment, but it’s an aspect to keep in mind, and one that’s going to make our job more difficult. The rest of the gang, who know him best, won’t be keen on speaking to anyone representing what they see as the law.”

“Makes a good cover, though.” Garen sat back in his chair. “But I agree that getting any useful information from them is going to be difficult. Maybe they’d be more inclined to talk to Luke. He looks less ... official than I do.”

“That’s true.” Thomas chuckled. “You’d be hard pressed to get anyone who looks less official than Luke. The body’s secured in the morgue. We wanted to make certain it didn’t pose a threat of its own before we would release it. As much as I wanted you, as the investigating officer, to check it out.”

“Nothing happened, I take it.” Garen finished his drink, and readied to stand.

“No. Whatever did this, hadn’t infected the remnants. We aren’t getting another of them. At least, not so far.” Thomas dropped his voice to a deep rumble, and Garen stood up.

“I’ll be sure to take precautions, sir.”

“Make sure you do. While we don’t know what we’re dealing with, I don’t want anyone taking chances. It’s being kept in a separate room.” Thomas grimaced. “Good luck with it.”

“Thanks. I’ll alert Luke. See if he wants to see the corpse. I’ll keep you posted.” Garen was already striding to the door while pulling out his cellphone. The moment he was outside, he hit speed dial, pleased his husband answered almost immediately. “Hi, love. How are you? Good. I have a new case. Possible ghoul attack. I’m about to see the body, and I’ll need your help. Do you want to see it, too?”

“It may be useful, even though unpleasant.”

Garen could hear the distaste in Luke’s voice, but let his husband decide. Finally Luke spoke again.

“Yes, okay. You go ahead. Use protections. I’ll take a few precautions before coming over, and bring some extra protections with me. Just to be on the safe side. I’ll chant a protection spell for you, too. Don’t take chances.”

“I’m meant to be your guardian, remember?” Garen smiled. “But I truly appreciate the way you care for me.”

“I love you,” Luke replied, and Garen’s smile widened. “I’ll always have your back.”

“And I love you. And yes, I’ll take care. You, too.” A warn feeling enveloped Garen as he made his way down to the morgue rooms. For a moment, he was even certain he could smell Luke’s familiar scent.

Buoyed by the feeling that Luke was close, Garen increased his pace to the basement. There were more security guards than usual, and Garen nodded at them as he walked past. It was easy to see which room housed their newest cadaver. A glum-faced technician sat outside the door.

Garen didn’t bother to identify himself. He spent enough time there to know all the technicians. “Afternoon, Aiden. I’m here to see the new corpse.”