The Mating Ritual is my first paranormal romance.
Definition - Paranormal is a general term that designates
experiences that lie outside the range of normal experiences or that indicates
phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or
measure. Paranormal phenomena are distinct from certain hypothetical entities, supernatural and unexplained mysteries,
including ghost stories and pictures, creatures and more.
Blurb
On the run for her life, Toni finds safety with an uncivilized group of people living deep in the Carolina Mountains. Direct descendants from a legendary creature, they are more human than beast. With the exception of being big and tall, they no longer carry any of the original Bigfoot hairy, monstrous traits. Yet they prefer the simple, uncomplicated life their beastly ancestors lived. They remain far away from civilization, feeding the locals with rare sightings that help keep the myth alive.
Toni is captured by their rugged leader, Cormac, and must undergo an ancient mating ritual in order not to be claimed and mated by any of the other males. Once Cormac mates with her in front of the whole village, she will be off limits to everyone but him, something Toni is grateful for. She gradually falls for the powerful leader, willingly giving in to his ravenous demands for sex. He vows to protect and love her, but can she give up everything to live with him in the mountains?
Unedited excerpt –
“Stop, woman!” He growled.
She stopped at his command, and stared up
at him, frightened. It was then she noticed he was bleeding where she’d hit
him. She’d apparently opened up a wound on the verge of healing.
“I
need to get away from here. Some men─”
He let go of her long hair, and grabbed
the fur from her, wrapping it around his hips. Then he took Toni by the upper
arm. “Go.” His tone was unbending as he pushed her in the direction that led
deeper into the cave.
“What about me?” She swung around and
pulled her arm from his grasp. “What do I wear?”
His gaze fell to Toni’s large breasts,
which she knew her bra left more exposed than covered. She didn’t like the
strange light that came into his eyes. It wasn’t much different from the look
she’d seen in her last boyfriend’s gaze, when he was horny. When Cormac’s gaze
roamed down to her thong a flush of heat spread throughout her body, surprising
her. It was as if he was touching her with his hands. In spite of her
precarious situation there was something raw and basic about her captor, and it
was having a strong effect on her libido.
“Please let me go.” A different kind of
threat entered her mind, one that involved him and the fur around his hips. He
looked too male, and capable of anything for her peace of mind. “There are men
looking for me.” She wasn’t sure if she said that to scare him or take his mind
off her lack of clothing.
“Only mated females wear coverings.”
“What?” For a moment Toni had forgotten
what she’d asked him. Then his words registered, turning her blood cold. “But
I’m not one of your females,” she said. “Where I come from everyone wears clothes.”
“Not last night.” He pushed her in the
direction he wanted her to go.
How was she going to explain last night?
As she unwillingly walked deeper and deeper into the cave she began to hear
voices. She started to drag her feet, afraid of what she’d see at the other
end.
“Please let me go. There are dangerous people
looking for me. If they find me they’ll kill me.”
He continued to push her. “I will protect
you.”
Toni turned and stopped, but he didn’t.
And as big as he was, when he hit her she went flying backwards, and would have
hit the wall had he not pulled her to him. All at once her breasts flattened
against him. She instantly struggled, feeling his hands everywhere as he
subdued her. In the end she was no match for his strength.
“I have to go home!”
The next thing Toni knew they were flush
against one another. She felt her nipples become hard, and a strange feeling
fluttered in her belly. She had to look a long way up to meet his flashing
eyes. What she saw frightened her. His nostrils were flaring, as if he was
taking in her scent, and his eyes narrowed. She knew arousal when she saw it, and
with him it was palpable. She shook her head no, because she felt it too. And
that was crazy!
It didn’t matter to him. He picked Toni up
until their faces were level. She opened her mouth to say no but the words locked
in her throat. His warm breath bathed her face and then his tongue was against
her lips, tracing them. She gasped at the sensuousness of it, and waited for
his kiss. But he surprised her by lifting her higher, until her breasts were
even with his mouth.
Her eyes rounded, and she caught her
breath. He wouldn’t! But he did. His
tongue traced her hard nipple through the thin film covering them. Then he took
one into his mouth, and sucked on it as if he was getting nourishment from it.
Toni moaned against her will, coming alive. She couldn’t believe what she was
feeling, what he was making her feel. Her heart raced. She waited with
breathless anticipation when he finally moved onto her other breast. A sharp,
tingling sensation zinged down to her pussy.
Oh God! This isn’t real! Only it
was all too real. And she was feeling way too much. She was shocked that she
was enjoying his foreplay, which was amazingly erotic. How could such a man,
who appeared uncivilized, and was probably the descendent of some mysterious beast,
be this intuitive to a woman’s needs, to her desire?
Toni realized the moans echoing through
the cave were hers, mingling with his low groans. She felt something long and
hard poking into her, and knew it was his cock. Good God, hard it was huge! If
he fucked her would she be able to take all of him? Then all she could think of
was the warm mouth covering hers, and the rough texture of his tongue against
hers. His kiss started out tenderly, until she squirmed against him,
inadvertently trapping his penis between her clenched thighs.
The grunt that escaped him sounded more
animal than human. Toni should have been frightened except that she knew it was
a sound of animal lust erupting from his monstrous chest. His kiss turned forceful,
his tongue thrusting halfway down her throat, and nearly gagging her. She was
on fire inside. So many forbidden and lusty thoughts were running through her
mind. Least of all that she was responding to his advances as if she’d done it
hundreds of times.
Without warning he lowered her to her
feet, ripped off the fur from around his waist and laid it on the ground. Then
he lowered Toni, following her there. He didn’t lay on her as she expected. He
arranged himself on his knees between her legs. His gaze zeroed in on the
triangle covering her pussy. She caught her breath when he hooked a finger
beneath the elastic and pulled it from her body with a sharp jerk.
Author bio –
Tory Richards is the pen name for Debbie Wallace. She’s a daughter, mother,
aunt, sister, grandmother, and writer of smut, otherwise called erotic romance.
Born in Maine, she’s lived most of her life in Florida. She’s been writing
since the age of ten but didn’t get serious about it until her family
encouraged her to submit to a publisher. Her first book, Cupid’s Arrow under
her real name was on the publisher’s best sellers list for two consecutive
months!
Tory likes to travel. She
likes sweet iced tea, good coffee, and any kind of sandwich. A couple years ago
she retired from the happiest place on earth, Disney, and moved in with her daughter,
son-in-law, and grandchildren. These days she spends her time with family,
friends, her four cats, and writing. Email her at tory.richards@yahoo.com; she
loves to hear from readers.
Giveaway – Author
will be giving away copies of The Mating Ritual, using
Rafflecopter. Winners announced here, and on her website, one week from this
post.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Links –
Website – http://www.toryrichards.com
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ToryRichards
Smashwords –https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/toryrichards
Hi there! Thanks so much for hosting my cover reveal today.
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