The Hound of Doom

By Christopher Newman

Another adventurous tale of Occult Investigator Noah Ravenswood and his associate Dr. Sarah Bookings. Trained since birth to battle the fiends of the dark, Noah accepts the task to uncover the truth and discover who’s to blame before more of Niles’ citizens fall under the deadly gaze of the Hound of Doom. Can Noah and Dr. Bookings stop the attacks?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dark Roast Press
• Release date: Jan 5, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452451541

Christopher Newman

Chris Newman lives in northeast Ohio. A life-long fan of Robert E. Howard, Richard Matheson, and Stephen King the bookshelves at the Newman residence run the gambit from erotica to horror to spirituality to humor. In fact, Chris hopes one day to inherit a library (or a castle with a library, that'd be nice!). Surrounding his eclectic library is his collection of medieval weaponry, helms, and shields. Woe be to the foolish mortal who tries to invade the Newman home.

Book preview

The Hound of Doom

A Noah Ravenswood novel

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Except for use in promotional review, the reproduction or use of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, by technologies now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Dark Roast Press, Calumet City, IL, 60409.

The story is fictional. Names, places and any similarity to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

© 2008 by Christopher C. Newman. All rights reserved.

The Hound of Doom Cover Art © 2008 Persephone’s Pomegranate

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 or Darkroastpress.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

This novel is dedicated to my parents Charles and Nancy who instilled in me the values of hard work and perseverance to do anything I wanted for a living. But alas both have passed, never seeing their oldest son become a published author. I cannot thank them enough for the support and love they gave me. Thanks Mom and Dad!

The Hound of Doom

A Noah Ravenswood novel

By

Christopher C. Newman

Chapter One

The candles were lit, the wine was chilled, and the prey was about to enter the trap. William Will Paterno stood in front of the vanity mirror in the bathroom and, for the tenth time, checked his appearance. He was tall, six foot and one inch, with wide shoulders, narrow hips, and strong legs. His wavy coal black hair was immaculate, and his trimmed eyebrows arched high over his deep brown eyes. His skin was caramel colored, mostly from his ancestry but with a little help from a tanning bed. His nails were trimmed and filed to metrosexual perfection. He wore a black suit, white tuxedo shirt, and a scarlet tie—only for a whiff of formality.

He moved out of the bathroom and back to the kitchen where the pasta was just beginning to boil to perfect al dente. A small pot (containing a jar of his mother’s own marinara spaghetti sauce) was happy bubbling but not burning. The smell of it and the garlic bread that was baking in the oven lent the entire ground floor apartment in Niles, Ohio the delightful smell of an Italian café. Will was proud of his Italian heritage, as were many people in this region of Ohio. He took as much pride in his ability to cook (a lost art amongst most young people today) as he did his appearance.

Ah, she should be pulling into the complex about… right now, he affirmed in a musical tenor voice, one that caused most women’s knees to quake with pleasure. Tonight’s the night. All my carefully laid plans should bear delicious fruit.

Will had been dating a young beauty from nearby Howland. Most of the women from the township were known for being haughty, money-grubbing, and vain. Typical of any stereotype, it was found to be very true at times, but not with the woman he had been wooing. Carrie Welsh was tall, almost six foot, with long blonde hair and a dazzling smile. She possessed blue eyes colored like sapphires, sparkling and shining just like the exquisite gems they resembled. Her body was, like his, tanned from a membership to a local tanning salon. She had a killer body, the kind that turned men’s heads and made them immediately burn with desire. She was his age too, just over twenty-one and not yet in the prime of her life.

Will had been careful about his courting of this fair maiden. Other men, too quick and eager, rushed into the battle poorly armed and single-minded. Their goals were as pitifully apparent as their unbridled lust. They only sought to get her naked and into their beds at any cost. Not Will. He was too smart for that. Yes, he too wanted to drink her nectar, crush her breasts, and slide into her hot wet crevice. But he knew slow and steady won the race; after all this wasn’t his first go-‘round with a woman.

He considered himself a predator of the highest order. Women of all ages and races fell to his charm, wit, and sexual prowess. It was the hunt that excited him the most. He existed for stalking of his prey, the delicate traps he crafted, and the thrill of the victorious kill (as it were). At his job he was praised around the water cooler or at the coffee urn for his impressive list of sexual conquests. Men wanted to be like him, but instead were constrained to the lesser satisfaction to be had from hearing his hunting tales.

The men at the office were mostly older than him, married to tired wives, and saddled with mewling brats. They lived vicariously through Will’s stories, like ex-football players would through their son’s gridiron exploits. Only last summer he had not only bedded a sexy co-ed at Youngstown State University, but her equally hot mother as well. Both women showered him with affectionate gifts of both a material and physical nature. He quipped that he wasn’t at all sure who was better in bed, much to the groans of envy of his gathered co-workers. Will never dated anyone from work. He firmly believed you don’t defecate where you dine. But beyond that, all was fair game, and the fairer the prey, the more exquisite the hunt.

Love is an illusion; it fades as quickly as the flowers you buy a woman. But a night of passion, he recited to himself as he stirred the marinara, well, that is a memory which will last a lifetime.

Ding Dong!

Ah… the game’s afoot. He smiled as the doorbell rang.

***

Wow, you can cook? Carrie exclaimed as she stepped into the apartment. The smells from the kitchen quickly whetted her appetite.

She was dressed in a one-piece dress as black as night, hanging from her shoulders from daringly thin straps, which hugged her hips and ended just two inches shy of her knees. Black sheer pantyhose were snuggly stretched over her long legs and her feet had been slipped into a pair of ebony high heels. Her slender aristocratic neck was draped with a genuine pearl necklace (borrowed from her mother’s jewelry box). Her long blonde hair was piled upon her head in a coiled coif, seeming almost crown-like. Will took her small black purse and ushered her into his tastefully decorated apartment. She judged everything she saw, from the room, to the dinner, to her date, to be of excellent quality and refinement.

Tonight is going to be special, she’d told her friend at work. I can just feel it. We’ve been going out for a month, and he’s been a gentleman the entire time.

But she prayed tonight that the restrained passion they both felt was going to be set free. Tonight they would make love and greet the dawn together, tangled in his sheets and their own deep desires.

Do you like Italian food? I’ve made some pasta, nothing fancy, but I hope you will find it satisfying, Will said, his words laced with double implications. I went so far as to borrow a jar of my mother’s homemade sauce.

I love spaghetti, she cooed with delight. I can’t wait to taste it.

Please sit down on the sofa. I have a few more details to attend to before dinner is served.

He escorted her to the cream colored sofa and turned on some classical music. Immediately Carrie recognized the opening strains of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major and smiled. It was the same music they had listened to on their first date weeks ago. He had taken her to the Youngstown Symphony. It was a magical night filled with wine, music, and deep conversation. A rare first date, one that didn’t end with her fighting off groping hands, leering looks, and slovenly kisses.

***

Do you like it? Will asked as she put the first forkful of pasta into her mouth. He poured her a glass of rich red wine and waited for his date to taste and swallow his culinary effort.

It’s delicious! she grinned at him. Tell your mother she makes excellent marinara!

I’ll pass it on.

I could tell her in person…

Yes, that would be more appropriate, Will answered, both smoothly and cryptically. Do try some of the garlic bread as well. Don’t worry; I have some salad to cleanse your palate before we have dessert.

I thought salad came first? she answered. It always does at most places you dine.

Oh no; my mother insisted salad washed away the main course before you had dessert. Perhaps it’s a quirk of her personality, but I’ve never found it to be wrong.

Wise, and a good cook… no wonder her son is so charming.

Thank you, he replied with a brilliant smile.

Will watched as she ate. He did take pleasure in her appreciation of the meal, since most dates he got to this point merely gulped down his prepared offerings. They seemed to know what was meant to follow after dessert, and were too eager to give their bodies to him, as if it would secure and cement the relationship. He knew better; only a tramp would sell herself so quickly. But Carrie was different, and he realized it still more as they ate and conversed. She seemed to be in no hurry, as if she had all night to decide what would transpire later. For the first time since dating her, Will wasn’t sure he would win the game. That very thought seemed to spice up his meal, more than the herbs his mother used when she’d created the sauce they were enjoying.

***

The meal was followed by tiramisu, a traditional Italian desert, and a cup of strong coffee. They carried the remainders of their hot beverages into his living room, just off the small dining area next to the kitchen. It wasn’t a big apartment, but it was well laid out and boasted two bedrooms and a serviceable full bath. They sat on the sofa and set their cups on the coffee table.

I hope the meal was as fun to eat as it was to make, he said as he leaned back into the soft material of the couch.

It was; you are a man of many talents. She laughed musically. I don’t think I will ever figure you out.

I am a simple man. I enjoy the simple pleasures of life, he replied. All I require is a comfortable place to live, good food, well-aged music, sparkling wine, and the company of a beautiful lady such as yourself.

His well rehearsed speech evoked a giggle from her, as it sounded sincere without being too corny. Her body relaxed as she took another sip of the coffee and looked him in the eyes. The Brandenburg Concerto ended and the opening strains of Vivaldi’s Concerto in D minor began.

What’s next? I can hardly wait to see what you have in store for me, she forthrightly inquired.

Let the meal settle a bit. Let us just talk and take pleasure in one another.

I heard dancing-- slow and easy-- was a good way to digest such an excellent meal, she offered seductively.

As the lady suggests… so be it. He stood and took her hand. They walked around the sofa to a free area and moved into each other’s arms. With the lights dimmed, they swayed to the music like figures in some Renaissance painting. She was light in his arms, well versed in formal dance, and warm to the touch.

A few circuits later she put her head upon his shoulder and pressed closer in to his body. She could feel his heart beating so close to her own, sealing her decision. She withdrew her head from his shoulder and kissed him softly and passionately upon the lips. His mouth opened and their tongues swirled and danced.

The coffee flavored kiss was maintained for some time and then they broke away from one another. Eyes gazed into eyes, and hands began to stir and find excuses to roam about. She caressed the width of his back, feeling the hard muscle beneath the black jacket he wore. His hands likewise slid across the nape of her neck and down towards her waist, delighting in the firm contours of her body. The kiss was renewed without words as their passion began to mount. The kisses became more urgent as their hands became bolder. She moaned into his mouth while he squeezed her ass tenderly. She reciprocated and massaged the dimpled curves of his rear.

Her panties became wet as her body reacted to his advances. She could feel the swell of his cock as he too responded with like desire. Carrie welcomed the arousal of her need, even as she enflamed the desires of her partner. He crushed her to his chest, and her eyes fluttered with her wanting.

Come. Let us adjourn to the bedroom where we’ll be more comfortable, he breathed hotly into her ear. She followed him, still managing to maintain a vaulted aloofness that seemed to heighten his desire.

Carrie watched as Will lit a few candles which cast the room in a soft romantic light. His queen-sized bed was covered with white satin sheets, revealed as he swept away the colorful comforter.

She approved. She moved towards him and pulled off his jacket while she smothered his lips with another kiss. She tossed it across the floor gently while she deepened the oral stimulation. She pulled the white shirt from his trousers and began popping the buttons open one at a time. She pulled at his scarlet tie until it was loosened enough to slip over his head. She broke the extended kiss and did so, flicking his tie toward the same place she had thrown his jacket. The last buttons were expertly opened with her teeth in a gentle, but very erotic manner, leaving Will breathless. She pulled the shirt off his shoulders, past his elbows, and used it to imprison his arms behind him.

My… what are you planning? Will asked with a groan, as Carrie sank slowly to the floor. She ran her wet tongue all down his neck, chest, and stomach. She kissed his belt buckle and looked up with a grin.

I’m going to make this a night you’ll never forget, Will, she promised him.

It already is, he managed to say, containing his desire long enough to recite the smooth phrase.

Then I’ll make it even more memorable, Carrie laughed, as she unbuckled his trousers.

Will quivered with delight and felt suddenly out of control when she began to pop the button on his pants, using her teeth again. His legs began to tremble as she pulled down the zipper with a pair of red nailed fingers and let his pants drop to the carpet.

Carrie smiled to herself. There, straining against the plaid boxers he wore, was Will’s cock. She cooed at it as the poor thing fought to free itself from the tight confines of his underwear and greet her properly. She ran her hands up over his quivering calves, onto his shaking thighs, and gripped his tensely clenched ass. Without a word she parted the fly of the boxers, allowed his hard member to fall free, and kissed it on the bulbous purpled head.

Oh… my… God! Will gasped as Carrie took liberties with his penis. She circled his raging hard-on with her soft lips, letting it caress her face and leave the faintest trail of pre-come on her left cheek. She kissed it once more and watched as it bobbed frantically from the overwhelming sensations. Slowly she took it into her mouth and sucked at it gently, making Will sob out in pleasure. She alternated between short strokes and deep plunges into her mouth, keeping her partner guessing. She gripped his tight balls and fondled them carefully. Another moan shot past his lips as she massaged the hard knots his testicles had become.

She reached down without taking her mouth from his organ and untied both of his shoes. She slipped them off, and nearly unconsciously he helped her. His socks were next as she busily coated his thick cock with hot saliva. She gave him a few more moments of oral pleasure before she wiped her mouth, lady-like, and stood up.

His wet hard shaft was soon crushed between them as he fiercely hugged her and drank kisses from her lips, struggling for self mastery.

I didn’t expect you to be so… talented, he managed to utter as his shirt was finally allowed to drop to the floor.

I thought you liked surprises?

I do. I hope I have a few for you as well.

Will reached behind her and unzipped her dress, letting his hands caress her smooth back. He pushed his hand gently past the end of the zipper and into the confines of her dress as she moaned with delight. He massaged the globes of her ass and she wiggled her butt with a soft cry. He smiled when he felt the thong she wore and pulled at it playfully. Sliding his hand back up to the delicate lace bra she wore higher up, he popped it apart with a practiced ease. Carrie felt the cups move off her breasts and sighed happily, content with his unhurried approach.

His hands unsnapped the neck of the dress and it moved off of her without any more actions on his part. The front fell against him, leaving only her dangling bra and the pearl necklace adorning her upper body. He moved away, and the dress fell neatly to the floor to reveal the gold of her tanned skin. She allowed him to pull away the unfettered brassiere and cup her full breasts with trembling fingers.

Carrie gasped as he took her left nipple into his mouth and rolled it around his teeth and tongue. He squeezed and fondled her right tit as he suckled at her left. The small patch of the thong tightly pressed against her wet pussy had become completely sodden with her musky scent.

Yes… she whispered as he switched his oral attention to her right nipple. She gripped the back of his head and guided him unerringly to it. She ran her fingers through his thick jet-black hair as he paid delicious homage to her erect nipple and pink aureole. He knelt down slowly and dragged his wet tongue down through her cleavage, past her firm flat stomach, and tickled the top of her scandalously low red thong. He pulled it aside and breathed in Carrie’s musky scent before placing a chaste kiss