The Mating Ritual

By Tory Richards

This erotic paranormal is written from the heroine's point of view only. It's her story.

When Toni finally came to, she had no way of knowing how long she’d been out. As she slowly regained consciousness, she became aware that she was in some kind of cave, lying on something that felt soft and furry. At first she thought it was a dead animal. She jumped to her feet and moved away from it, only to find that it was just an animal hide. Picking it up, she examined it before wrapping it around her cold body.

She glanced around the cave, wondering how she’d gotten there, and then her memory returned. Where was he? That a man had dragged her in there she had no doubts. She could tell the cave went further back, she could see the flickering shadows against the walls indicating some kind of lighting, but she wasn’t about to go exploring. The loud sound of moving water reminded her that she was still near the river. She turned toward the mouth of the cave, walked to the edge, and glanced down. As far as she could tell, it was the only way out of there.

If she had jumped the night before she would have killed herself. Nothing but boulders and large rocks lined the steep incline down to the river. Something off to the side drew her attention, and she gasped, recognizing one of the men that had been after her. There was no question that he was dead. His twisted, broken body was lying just inches from the river, his bloody face and glazed, lifeless eyes were staring up at her. She shivered with repulsion and searched around for his friend, until remembering that she’d heard the sound of a splash.

Her gaze shifted across the water to the other side, wondering if he’d crossed the river or had been swept away with the current. Even if he had managed to swim across he wouldn’t have been able to climb up the embankment. More likely than not he’d been washed down the river and had drowned. At least she didn’t have to worry about the men anymore. Once she returned to the cabin she’d call Detective Todd and tell her what happened, and with a little luck, the local police were already searching for her.

Toni didn’t realize how close she was to the edge until she felt the heel of her foot begin to slip. She screamed when the reality that she was falling rushed over her. Once again a muscular arm came out of nowhere and encircled her waist. Then, with surprising ease, she was hauled against a huge male body. She knew it was male because he was naked, and there was no denying the feeling of his naked shaft against her backside.

She glanced down, thanking God his arm wasn’t as hairy as she’d been expecting, but still screamed and tried to wiggle free. He was much too strong for her. He kept her tight against him, grunting when she dug her nails into his flesh. He pulled her away from the cave entrance and tossed her against the cave wall. She hit it forcefully, crying out, and clutched the fur as it started to slip down.

Toni swung around and stared at the man in shock. One thing she knew for certain, he wasn’t Bigfoot, but he was big, possibly seven feet tall. And he was definitely human, his features were rugged and strong and not totally unpleasant. He had long brownish hair that appeared streaked with blond, his brown eyes conveyed intelligence and something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

His naked body revealed that he was well muscled, from his thick neck, defined biceps, pectorals, and sculptured abs. His thighs were as solid as small tree trunks. The light dusting of hair that covered his body was like any other man, allowing Toni to see his scars and other imperfections. As he stood there staring at her he made her feel something wild and primitive. He was magnificent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tory Richards
• Release date: Nov 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311012388

Tory Richards

Most of my books are available in paperback on Amazon.Tory Richards is an Amazon bestselling author in the categories of erotic romance and romantic suspense who writes smut with a plot. Born in Maine, she's lived most of her life in Florida where she grew up, married, and raised a daughter. She's now retired and spends her time with family and friends, traveling, and writing. Her romances are sexually charged and filled with suspense and some humor.

Book preview

The Mating Ritual

By

Tory Richards

Copyright 2013 Tory Richards

All Rights Reserved.

Published by Tory Richards at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Tory Richards: http://www.toryrichards.com

Email: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Ramona Lockwood

Edited by Alisha Corsi

Author’s note: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

The Mating Ritual is written from the heroine’s point of view only, and therefore the focus is on her side of the story. This is an erotic paranormal.

Chapter 1

Toni sat back in the old wicker rocker and closed her eyes; content to listen to the birds and anything else Mother Nature had to offer. She breathed in deeply the crisp mountain air, filling her lungs, thankful to be free at last. Six weeks as a juror on a murder trial and another two sequestered in a hotel room had taken its toll. She was thankful it was over and that her friend, Mary, had offered up her family cabin for a change of scenery, a mini vacation before returning to work and the real world again.

She’d arrived early that morning and had already taken a run around the lake. Weeks of sitting in a chair had been sheer torture, especially for someone that worked out every day. Not that she was a fanatic or anything, but Toni liked to eat, and that meant she had to work it off. Smiling, she thought about the chocolate cream pie she’d brought up with the rest of her groceries. That was going to cost her a few extra trips around the lake.

A rattling in the bushes prompted Toni to open her eyes to investigate. She glanced around, seeing nothing except trees, the lake, and more trees. The cabin was situated on the side of the mountain, deep in the back woods of North Carolina. Mary had told her that her great-grandparents had built it in the twenties, and at their request, the house had not been sold when they’d passed away. Toni was glad, grateful to have a place that she could escape to that was peaceful and quiet, and away from everything.

The phone began to ring inside the cabin, but she didn’t attempt to get up, certain the caller was Mary. She was the only one who knew Toni was there. It’s wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to Mary, just not at that moment. Her friend was a little long-winded, and Toni just didn’t feel like getting into a long conversation, she was comfortable right now. Besides, she’d promised to call sometime later that week to touch base.

They’d grown up like sisters in St. Evangeline’s Orphanage and had always been close. Close in age, they’d arrived at the orphanage within a week of each other, too old for adoption at the age of five, when everyone wanted babies or young toddlers.

Mary had been lucky, though, once it had been discovered that she had family. The product of a runaway teen, her mother had died in a car crash. Years had passed before her grandparents found out they had a granddaughter when Mary was fifteen. They’d quickly removed her from St. Evangeline’s, and three years had gone by before Toni saw her again. Throughout it all they had remained in touch.

Mary was the only family Toni had ever known. At twenty-four, Toni worked a mundane job at the local library and had few acquaintances, some people she hung out with sometimes after work, but that was all. She blamed herself for not letting anyone get close to her. No matter where she was, she felt like she just didn’t fit in.

Finally, the phone stopped ringing and all grew quiet again. That was one of the things Toni liked best about being in the mountains—it was nature in all its glory, everything was alive with lush and vibrant color, the sounds of birds and animals were comforting music to her ears. The sky seemed bluer, the air crisper. If she could live there year-round she would have, in spite of the rumors that there were some kind of elusive, backwoods people living deep in the mountains.

That story was as silly as the one that had been going around for centuries about Bigfoot. Toni took the rumor as a ploy from small-town locals to draw more tourists into the area to boost their economy. These legends attracted the curious thrill-seekers, photographers, and scientists who wanted to be the first to find these mysterious people and make their mark in history, or the hunters, who had their own big dreams and were certain that these sightings were of Bigfoot. Whenever there was a new sighting the freaks came out of the woodwork and the towns prospered.

The surrounding towns were small and populated with well-established families whose roots went back for generations. They were loyal, good people that chose a simpler way of life that could be considered archaic when compared with some of the country’s upscale communities. Their Mayberry way of life was okay with Toni. Most of the locals were friendly and helpful when the need arose, and generally minded their own business.

Her thoughts drifted to Marco Rivera. Found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, thanks to her and the other jurors, he would never again know what freedom was. For as long as Toni lived she’d never forget the look he gave each and every one of them, or the curses and threats he’d screamed at them when he was dragged from the courtroom. She was glad it was over and that she’d never have to see him again.

She tried to move into a more comfortable position, moaning low. The muscles she hadn’t used during the trial were stiffening from her first jog since before the trial. She should have started with something easier, like a swim in the nearby lake. Maybe a swim now would help ease some of the soreness. She knew the water would be cold but invigorating, and with no one around, she could skinny-dip if she wanted to.

Toni eventually dozed until the persistent ringing of the phone woke her. Swearing with annoyance, she jumped up from the rocker, practically tearing the screen door off its hinges as she rushed inside, hoping to get to the phone in time. Something must be up with Mary.

Hello!

Well it’s about darn time! Mary’s usually cheerful voice was laced with heavy irritation. I was about to drive myself up there to make sure you were okay.

Why wouldn’t I be? Toni sat down on the arm of a nearby chair. I thought we were going to touch base later this week.

I know, but there’s something I have to tell you that couldn’t wait. Just in case.

Toni frowned. Just in case of what? She could hear Mary’s little ones screaming and laughing in the background.

"In case you need to go somewhere else. Have you had the TV on