Freaked
Out
Midnight
Rodeo 5
Kiernan
Kelly
Genre:
Gay, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher:
All Romance eBooks
Date
of Publication: 11/1/2016
ISBN:
9781945193163
Word
Count: 20000
Cover
Artist: Erin Dameron Hill
Book
Description:
Love
and compassion, when least expected, helps the hopeless soar.
Gargoyle
Killian has the unenviable job at Darque and Knight Rodeo of
wrangling the sideshow acts. When he meets Micah, one of the freaks
from a new troupe contracted to perform, he's instantly drawn to the
poor, pathetic creature. The more he learns about Micah’s situation
with his reprehensible handler, the more determined he is to protect
Micah.
Trapped
painfully between two forms—man and snake—Micah knows nothing
about his past except for what his handler tells him. The attentions
of the gargoyle boost his mood, but what can Killian do to help him
find the truth he seeks?
Excerpt:
Killian recognized
the setup in an instant. It was a typical ten-in-one layout. An
elevated walkway was constructed for marks to walk across, which
overlooked “pits,” — curtained, sectioned off spaces on ground
level where the freaks were exhibited.
“Hey, you! We’re
closed. We don’t open until four. Get your ass out.”
The voice was rough
and carried an edge of both arrogance and contempt, which made it
clear the speaker thought highly of himself and was used to being
obeyed without question. Its owner was an ogre, creatures known for
their craggy faces and sour dispositions. Unlike most of his ilk,
though, this one was less muscled and far fatter than other ogres
with the show. His jowly cheeks sagged on his face, softening the
coarseness in appearance his species were known for and almost
melding with the deep rolls of fat on his neck. A ponderous belly
strained the buttons on his frayed and faded black tuxedo jacket. He
kept his sausage-like fingers hooked into the jacket’s lapels.
“Are you Emmet?”
“Yeah. Are you
deaf?”
Killian bristled.
Swallowing the anger summoned by the ogre’s disrespectful tone took
what felt like a Herculean effort. That Emmet assumed at first glance
Killian didn’t belong in the tent, that he was nothing but an
insignificant mark, didn’t sit well with him. His ego was already
bruised by his earlier conversation with Phillip; he felt the sting
and the resulting need to hurt back was strong. “Listen, I’m here
to—”
“I don’t give a
sack of flying pig shit why you’re in here. Fucking brainless local
yokels. Don’t you get it? Nobody gets a free show. You pay your
money like every other fucking mark if you want to see my acts, and
you do it after we open for business.”
“I’m not a mark!
I’m—”
“Who are you,
then? One of the rodeo roughnecks? Don’t you have a stake to pound
or a pile of cow shit to shovel somewhere? Get the fuck out before I
break you in half and feed you to the Snake Man.”
Killian felt his
instant dislike for the ogre deepen into active loathing. That is the
sound of an asshole speaking, he thought. His breath must reek of the
shit he’s spewing. He tried to fight against his rising temper. A
confrontation with a pissed off gargoyle rarely ended well, and he
didn’t really want to explain to Phil and Cody why he’d murdered
their newest hire. “I’d check my tone if I were you, jerk-off.
Unless you want to find yourself and your acts booted out of the
show, that is. I’m Killian, and I run the fucking sideshow.”
The ogre had the
audacity to laugh at him. “Are you now? Well, I say you don’t run
jack shit when it comes to me and my acts. I make the rules here, and
you can fucking suck my dick if you don’t like it, little man.”
Little man?
Seriously? He wants a pissing contest? Okay, then. No problem.
Killian shifted into his gargoyle form, and noted with satisfaction
the glitter of fear as it swiftly replaced the arrogance in the
ogre’s expression. Damn skippy, you fucking overgrown troll doll.
“Nobody fucks with my sideshow. This is how it works here, fuck
face. You report to me, and I report directly to Darque and Knight.
You got a problem with the chain of command, you’re free to voice
your concerns with them. Of course, that might be hard to do after I
rip your tongue out of your mouth and strangle you with it.”
“H-hey, now. No
need for threats, friend.” Emmet held up his hands, palms facing
outward, as if to ward off an impending attack. Not that anything
short of a brick wall could stop Killian if he attacked while in his
gargoyle form. His talons would shred the ogre as easily as a sushi
chef could slice sashimi. “Just trying to protect my investments,
is all. You understand, right?”
Typical of a bully,
Killian thought. All bluster and no balls. “I want to see your
acts. Now. Darque and Knight may have signed you on with the show,
but I’m the one who decides whether you stay on.” Not really, but
he figured Emmet-the-Asshole didn’t need to know that nugget of
information.
“Sure, sure. I’ll
send them into their pens. Give you the full show.” Emmet moved
quickly for as such a hefty man, although the catwalk trembled under
each of his steps. He disappeared behind a black curtain hung at the
rear of the exhibit.
Killian swore softly
under his breath. He’d only meant to wander around, observation
without interaction and all that psychobabble crap. He had no
intention of meeting the attractions face-to-face, but now he was
stuck with a private viewing. He felt like a naughty little boy
caught doing something he knew he shouldn’t. He felt anxious and
guilty, and pissed off at himself for feeling that way.
I’m not doing
anything wrong, he reminded himself. This is my job, right? I’m
supposed to make sure the acts are legitimate. Except he hadn’t
hired these acts — Darque and Knight had. He wasn’t responsible
for them, Cody and Phil were.
Then why, he asked
himself, do I feel like I am?
***
About
the Author:
Kiernan
Kelly's stories of gay romance envelop diverse themes ranging from
paranormal, to fantasy, and science fiction to contemporary romance.
She is the author of over eighty titles available in both print and
ebook.
Kiernan
also writes young adult GLBT romance under the pen name, Dakota
Chase.
For
more information on other books by Kiernan, visit her website:
Twitter
https://twitter.com/KiernanKelly
Tour
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winners to receive a Midnight Rodeo eBook published by All Romance
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