The Beast of Birch Hill

By Naomi Clark

Wildlife photographer and cryptozoology blogger Emma Jordan came to Birch Hill expecting to find another urban legend. The rumors of a big cat stalking the woods around this quiet town surely had to be just that—rumors. But when the evidence starts to pile up that Birch Hill really does have a killer cat on the loose, Emma finds herself caught in a confusing game of cat and mouse. And her blossoming relationship with Abi Blakely might just be pushing her further into danger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Aug 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781771309714

Naomi Clark

Naomi Clark is a nineteen-year-old writer, actress, blogger, singer, and vlogger. Naomi has been writing since she was eight years old, and this is her first published work. She lives in New York City with her mother, father, and her dog named Hope. In her spare time, she likes to crochet, walk her dog, bake, and cook for her family. She is also very active in her church and loves to work with kids. Her vlogging channel is coming to Youtube in Spring 2017. You can follow her on Instagram @glittergirl40 and on Facebook @NaomiClark.

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Published by Evernight Publishing ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2014 Naomi Clark

ISBN: 978-1-77130-971-4

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: Melissa Hosack

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To all my readers—you make this an invigorating experience every single time.

THE BEAST OF BIRCH HILL

Romance on the Go

Naomi Clark

Copyright © 2014

Chapter One

Terror in Birch Hill as Townsfolk are Tormented by Suburban Tiger!

The quiet town of Birch Hill, Contra Costa County, has been plagued by sightings of a black panther that stalks the woodlands and kills local wildlife. Residents have reported seeing the giant cat in their backyards and hikers have found the remains of deer on well-used hiking trails. Whilst most experts dismiss so-called alien cat sightings as misidentified dogs, there is growing evidence for a population of wild big cats in America. Is Birch Hill home to a man-eater?

Taken from The Contra Gazette

Emma Jordan rolled her eyes and shoved the newspaper into her capacious backpack. It was one of countless articles she'd read on America's mystery big cat sightings, one of dozens on Birch Hill's supposed panther, and probably one of the stupidest she'd read on any subject. There was zero evidence the Beast of Birch Hill was a man-eater, or even a vague threat to people at all. It had only been seen at a distance, usually in pre-dawn or dusk light. Nobody had reported people being attacked or stalked, and all the kills attributed to the panther were deer or geese.

If there really was a panther—and usually there wasn't, sadly—the term man-eater was a gross exaggeration.

Still, Birch Hill would be the perfect place for a big cat to hide, she decided. A small, isolated town ringed by rocky cliffs on one side and thick woodland on the other. She'd driven all around the town this morning, getting a feel for the place, and there was definitely no sense of anyone being terrorized. The few locals she'd passed had glanced curiously at her car—a coupé not at all suited to mountain roads—then gone back to their own business.

Now, as she climbed out of her car and stretched her arms over her head, she took a proper look around. The road she'd parked on was the main one through the town. It was lined with shops. She saw an antique store, a speciality gin store, a bakery... All were neatly kept and picturesque, especially coupled with the tidy baskets of Californian poppies hanging at intervals along the walls. Golden sunlight glowed off the bright orange flowers, giving them an incandescent flare. She itched to start taking photos and capture the early morning tranquillity, but she wasn't here for pleasure. She took her bag from the car and headed for the bakery, simply called Abigail's Bakes. It was ten-thirty and Emma had an

Reviews for The Beast of Birch Hill

[Tricia Adcock · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the story but it was a little too short and sweet.

[Angela · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great short lesbian supernatural romance. It could flow a little bit better, but for its length it covered everything I like in a book.