by Hunter Blain
The beast inside the control room of Joey’s mind stood just behind the shadow of the man, threatening to take over if he didn’t consume meat, and soon. Joey had never been this famished before, and he feared he would be unable to stop the wolf from going feral and taking over. Hell, at this point, he didn’t think he would even want to stop him if it meant eating.
“Hello, Joseph,” Ulric greeted with an arrogance that made Joey’s skin crawl.
Joey regarded him weakly with the only eye that he could see out of. His captor stood almost directly under the dim light, which created deep shadows on his face. Only eyes that seemed to shift between glowing green and vibrant purple were evident in the infinite abyss of darkness that bathed Ulric’s features into obscurity.
“How are we feeling today, hmm?” Ulric purred. He reached down and touched two fingers under Joey’s chin, who reacted by jerking back and yelling through the duct tape over his mouth. Ulric’s hand blurred and forcibly wrapped around Joey’s lower jaw, bringing his head forward and up to better see the most powerful being on the plane. There was a sickening pop as Ulric squeezed his captive’s jaw a little too tightly. Joey screamed, letting the air escape through his nose, and tried to yank his face free. “Still a little fight in you. That is good.”
Ulric leaned down until they were almost nose to nose, the light now spilling down his face showing only his forehead and nose clearly. His eyes still stared at Joey from the abyss, sending a shudder down the were’s spine.
Ulric’s grip on Joey’s chin tightened further, drawing a sharp gasp from the prisoner and signaling that there would be no use in trying to pull away. Joey tasted fresh blood in his mouth as a tooth was freed from its socket, forcing the man to swallow it or go mad from having it explore the rest of his mouth.
“You are going to do as I say, or I am going to make poor Dawson suffer in unimaginable torment. His agony will become an urban legend in Hell, something the damned souls will tell each other to make their own tortures seem like a gentle massage in comparison.” Ulric’s eyes glowed a dark crimson that made fresh urine escape Joey’s bladder.
The prisoner’s remaining eye bulged as a whine escaped through the passage of his nose, spilling twin streams of scarlet snot that dripped onto Ulric’s fingers.
Lifting his hand, Ulric roughly passed it through the were’s thick hair, smearing the snot before continuing his monologue. “That is right, child. Your brother’s soul is in Hell, and I just so happen to have a key. Disobey me, and risk going mad over the knowledge of what I will do to him for the rest of eternity.”
Joey stared at the vamlock with a hatred that could fuel a supernova until the end of time, but he didn’t protest.
“Listen closely, wolf, for I want you to retrieve something for me. Something of great importance.”
A single tear broke rank and rushed the only working duct to slip down a black-and-blue cheek while disbelieving ears relayed Ulric’s chilling words to a reeling mind.
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE
If you enjoyed this Urban Fantasy eulogy for Sir John Cook1, would you consider leaving an honest review? Every genuine review means the world to me, and helps new readers find my books.
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Review MOUTH OF MADNESS
Thank you in advance for giving John unlife after death. The series dedicated to my bromego will be 13 full novels with a handful of novellas and short stories for good measure. So until next time, John On!
1 John is not actually knighted
Dedications
Firstly, I’d have to dedicate this entire series to my unalive bromego who promised if he ever died, that he would haunt me by humming the theme to Mario Brothers for the rest of my life.
Here’s to you, John Cook. I made you a promise, and Lilith damn it, I kept it.
Second, to my beautiful wife, Amanda, who I’m glad has terrible vision. If not for those eyes of yours, you might have realized you are waaaaay too hot for me!
Then again, as the old saying goes: ‘If you make them laugh, their eyes will be closed and unable to see how much better they could do.’
Thirdly, to Valenta, Depweg, and Nathanial for wanting to be in the series and have the chance to still be a part of our dear friend’s legacy. As of this dedication writing, I am on book 6 and have included so many more of our friends in the series at their request. I would say it makes it easier to give depth to characters; but the truth is I had to tone most of you bastards WAY down. If I wrote you exactly like we all are in real life, no one would believe the story! I’m looking at you Valenta and Depweg, you crazy fools.
And finally, I am dedicating this book and series to anyone who has lost someone who was a substantial part of them. You are not alone. Rise up and live for them.
ABOUT HUNTER BLAIN
Hunter Blain is an author and entrepreneur who has spent his entire adult life—before writing—in the retail industry. At the age of 24, Hunter became the youngest Regional Sales Director at GNC before joining one of the largest supplement companies in the world. He is swole, ladies and gentlemen. So. Swole. After a few years, he had accumulated enough knowledge, beard length, and confidence to open his own brick and mortar store, Empire Nutrition. As of 2020, Hunter is in the midst of franchising the business to budding entrepreneurs.
One day, a teenage Hunter went to visit his mother at work (because he’s a good son), and met a goddess in the flesh who went by the name Amanda. She was one of his mom’s coworkers, and Hunter’s own age. She also happened to be the most beautiful woman Hunter had ever seen. On an unrelated note, Hunter decided to visit his mom at work a whole lot more after encountering Amanda, and somehow convinced her to marry him after spending nearly a decade together. “Finally!” their family members screamed in exhausted relief at the wedding.
As of this writing, they live with their two adorable puppies, Bella and Shimmy. To shamelessly maximize fan adoration and awww factor, Hunter’s pit bull terrier, Shimmy, was one day away from being euthanized when Hunter swooped in to rescue her at the very last minute! He reminds Shimmy of this fact almost daily, demanding that she realize how lucky she is and to “get a job!” Shimmy is currently unemployed.
In 2018, Hunter began writing I’M GLAD YOU’RE DEAD, which is an Urban Fantasy eulogy for his childhood best friend, John Cook, who was taken from this world in a horrific car accident. Writing the novel was both cathartic and the fulfillment of a promise that Hunter had once made to John before his sudden passing. The PRETERNATURAL CHRONICLES is a way for John to live forever in the minds of countless readers across the world.
In June of 2020, Hunter signed on with Argento Publishing—run by the urban fantasy world’s greatest supervillain, Shayne Silvers—and the rest, as they say, is history.
Or…the future.
Get Down with Hunter Online. T-shirts, signed books, new release updates, and Hunter’s blog awaits at:
www.HunterBlain.com
[email protected]
BOOKS BY HUNTER BLAIN
PRETERNATURAL CHRONICLES
DELIVERANCE (Prequel novella #0)
I’M GLAD YOU’RE DEAD
DAWN AND QUARTERED
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
MOONLIGHT EQUILIBRIUM (Book 3.5)
MOUTH OF MADNESS
WHAT THE HELL
HOLY SHEOLY (coming soon in 2020…)
Audiobooks by Audible Hall of Fame narrator, Luke Daniels:
Listen to free samples HERE.
DELIVERANCE
I’M GLAD YOU’RE DEAD
DAWN AND QUARTERED
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
