Blond

By E. D. Parr

What would you think if the guy you were dating raced off every night before midnight and would never say why? Would you succumb to the urge to follow him one night?

Liam Hale can’t believe his luck when he meets the man of his dreams, Karl Oberon. Karl is the sexiest man Liam has ever met, but his mysterious disappearances start to tease.

Liam is the only man Karl has ever loved. Together they spark and sizzle with passion, but Karl doesn’t know how to tell Liam why he races away. Maybe keeping Liam’s mind off the question with mind-blowing erotic encounters will work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Oct 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781773394596

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2017 E.D. Parr

ISBN: 978-1-77339-459-6

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: JS Cook

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.

BLOND

E.D. Parr

Copyright © 2017

Chapter One

Frozen in terror, Serge Oberon stared at the huge leopard that lay on the polished floorboards of the living room. The ceiling fans swished around. The first glimmer of dawn seeped through the gaps between the thin slats of the bamboo blinds unfurled on the outside of the villa’s shallow windows. A shirt lay discarded over one of the rattan chairs—a pair of white jeans crumpled at the foot of the couch. Wide-eyed and dry-mouthed, Serge took in the scene as if it wasn’t real, as if he’d stumbled onto the set of a movie. The big cat stirred, stretched a paw, but remained asleep.

His first coherent thoughts were for his son, Karl, who was visiting on his vacation. Please don’t let anything have happened to Karl. His heart thumping in his chest, Serge retreated from the horrifying sight and crept silently to the back rooms.

Karl had a bedroom in the area of the building shaded by the huge old banyan tree in the extensive grounds of the villa. Serge tiptoed toward the open door. He stopped in the entrance and gazed at his twenty-four year old son. Oh no—I should have warned him. A cold shiver of fear ran down his body and pooled in his stomach as he saw the love bites on his son’s neck, one of which looked more like a nip from an animal than a token of sexual enjoyment from a human.

Serge went to his son with nausea building. Karl, son, Karl, wake up. He bent to inspect the bite he knew in his heart meant Karl would never be normal again. The teeth marks were human, the break in Karl’s skin minimal, but all the same the saliva would have entered his bloodstream. A slight ooze of blood showed at the corner of the wound where Karl must have lain on his side as he slept.

He opened his eyes and stretched as his father drew away. Hi, Dad, what’s going on? He yawned and shifted his muscled shoulders, bringing a hand up to the base of his neck where he touched the bite gingerly.

Frown lines furrowed Serge’s forehead. His eyes filled with tears. His voice a whisper now, he sat heavily on the side of the bed. You brought a man home.

Karl shuffled to sit up. He smiled at his dad. Yeah, but what’s up? I’ve brought a guy home before.

Serge took a deep breath. Not here—not in Mumbai—at home in the States.

Concern flared in Karl’s eyes. What’s this about, Dad? I’m always safe.

Come to the kitchen. We’ll have coffee. I’ll tell you everything. He gazed at his son who reminded him so vividly of his beautiful dead wife, green eyes, dark blond hair, streaked with almond brown.

A voice from behind sent spikes of surprise and anxiety over him.

Karl, I must go now. The sun’s up.

Serge rounded on the man who lounged against the doorframe. He saw immediately why his son had brought the tall, slender, and dark-eyed young man home. Well-cut tawny hair spiked up and framed a handsome face. Muscles moved under the white linen shirt the man wore. He was ‘hot stuff’ as his son would say. You bit my son. He spat the accusation.

Karl caught his father’s arm. Dad. His voice held a question as well as surprise at his father’s ferocity.

I forgot myself. It was accidental. Forgive me, Karl?

Karl stood and went to the young man whose expression had filled with contrition and affection. For what, Dash? What’s going on?

Serge followed his naked son to stand in front of the shifter. Get out of my home.

Karl spun around to confront his father. What the hell…

Dashiell Chandra silently walked away along the wide hall and exited the house. He cast a mournful glance at Karl then closed the door behind him.

Serge sagged against the bedroom doorframe. I’m sorry. You need answers. Put something on. I’ll make coffee. He walked to the living room and, just in case he’d been mistaken, he checked the animal had gone. The shirt and jeans were gone. Dash had been wearing them.

The water for instant coffee had boiled by the time Karl joined him.

Karl’s bright hair was damp and smoothed back from his face. He wore a pair of loose, low-rise jeans and a questioning expression. He checked the fridge and brought out a carton of orange juice. Without a word, he took a glistening glass from the dishwasher, and poured the juice. He drank it before he held up the carton, offering his dad some.

No thanks. Sit down. I need to explain.

Karl took a seat at the big kitchen table and ran his hand through his hair. They’re just love bites, Dad. One’s a bit sore, but it’s just a scratch.

There’s no easy way to say this. Please listen to the whole story before you react. It’s going to seem as if I’ve lost my mind.

His dad placed coffee in front of him. Karl turned the cup around in the saucer.

Your mother was a shifter, a leopard, and that’s what Dash is.

Karl let out a snort. Dad…

Serge shook his head and held up his hand. Please listen.

His son sighed and slumped in the chair with a resigned expression, as if prepared to listen but not believe a word.

Here in this city and surrounds lives the largest concentration of leopards in the world. Some of them are shifters. They roam with the ordinary animals at night. The shifters only become leopards at night, usually midnight and then with the rising sun, they regain their human body. They’re an ancient species. I know it’s unbelievable. He gazed at Karl, desperate for his son to believe him. That’s how your mom died. The truth is she was shot by a hunter as she ran with a raiding prowl of leopards one night. His voice fell to a whisper, as he revealed what he’d never told his son before.

Karl slowly picked up his cup and drank some coffee. He sighed heavily. It’s an urban legend, Dad. Mom was killed in a road accident. You need to let go now. It’s been years.

Serge leaned forward. "Dash broke your skin. You’ll turn tonight. It’s manageable. If your mom hadn’t been a shifter you might have gotten away with it. It’s in your genes, son. I’m so