The Witching Hour: Some Like it Haunted

By Pelaam

FROM EXCITING AUTHOR OF LGBTQ+ ROMANCE, PELAAM

From the Some Like it Haunted collection

Legend says that at the witching hour creatures of darkness are at their most powerful. Gerald is about to find it's more than legend.

Gerald Pickering is an actor with a traveling troupe whose next performance is in the lakeside town of Taupo. When he is purposely excluded from the organized accommodations, he has to find somewhere he can stay. When he's given a card for another motel, he's warned about the owner's odd Goth grandson, but the motel is perfect—and even has a hot tub.

Gerald meets Jules and is immediately drawn to him, despite his unique style of dress and his youth. Soon Jules is helping Gerald with his rehearsals during the day and being his lover by night.

When Gerald finds that the company accounts aren't balancing, he shares his concerns with a colleague who, like Gerald, is doubling their duties while the company owner is incapacitated. However, when Gerald is lured into an alley at the witching hour, Jules' true nature is revealed.

Knowing the truth, will Gerald choose love, irrespective of the form in which it comes?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Oct 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839430794

Book preview

Author

Pride Publishing books by Pelaam

Single Books

Dragon’s Lair

French Lessons

Firebird

The Devil’s in the Details

Sex Spells

The Red Thirst

The Eye of Evil

Collections

A Little Bit Cupid: The Moment

Rules of Summer: Molten

Some Like it Haunted

THE WITCHING HOUR

PELAAM

The Witching Hour

ISBN # 978-1-83943-079-4

©Copyright Pelaam 2020

Cover Art by Claire Siemaszkiewicz ©Copyright October 2020

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2020 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Some Like it Haunted

Legend says that at the witching hour creatures of darkness are at their most powerful. Gerald is about to find it’s more than legend.

Gerald Pickering is an actor with a traveling troupe whose next performance is in the lakeside town of Taupo. When he is purposely excluded from the organized accommodations, he has to find somewhere he can stay. When he’s given a card for another motel, he’s warned about the owner’s odd Goth grandson, but the motel is perfect—and even has a hot tub.

Gerald meets Jules and is immediately drawn to him, despite his unique style of dress and his youth. Soon Jules is helping Gerald with his rehearsals during the day and being his lover by night.

When Gerald finds that the company accounts aren’t balancing, he shares his concerns with a colleague who, like Gerald, is doubling their duties while the company owner is incapacitated. However, when Gerald is lured into an alley at the witching hour, Jules’ true nature is revealed.

Knowing the truth, will Gerald choose love, irrespective of the form in which it comes?

Dedication

To everyone who enjoys a Halloween romance

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

WiFi: WiFi Alliance Corporation

The Witcher: Andrzej Sapkowsk

An Inspector Calls: J.B. Priestly

Much Ado About Nothing: William Shakespeare

Doctor Zhivago: Boris Pasternak

Scrooge: Charles Dickens

Indiana Jones: George Lucas, LucasFilm

Deadpool: Marvel Entertainment LLC

Harley Quinn: DC Comics General Partnership

Chapter One

With a sigh of relief, Gerald finally caught his first glimpse of Taupo. As much as he loved visiting the town, this was about business, not pleasure. As part of a traveling group of actors and performers, it was the next stop on the tour.

It’s just a shame we’ve managed to pick up a real asshole as part of the troupe. Matthew George might have sterling references as a performer, but he lacks a lot as a human being. Not only does the man hate anyone other than him being in the limelight, he’s a homophobic and transphobic prick. If only John hadn’t taken ill, it wouldn’t be so bad.

John Worthy was not only the main money behind the company, but he was also a good man, a real father figure and one of the best producers Gerald had ever had the pleasure to work with. John really could make a silk purse out of sow’s ear.

But John had been out of commission for the last several months and was now in the hospital for badly needed back surgery. If all went well, he could expect to return around halfway through their November performances.

In John’s absence, part of his role had been taken up by Jan. While Gerald thought she was a passable director at a push, in his opinion she struggled assuming John’s mantle. She was far less competent at keeping the various members of the troupe working harmoniously, especially when there were clashing personalities.

And she relies far too heavily on Matthew, who takes every advantage of the situation to assume more and more authority. Anyone listening to that fucking loudmouth would think he owns the company, not just works for it. He works for John, just like the rest of us do.

Gerald took his performances very seriously and was equally professional about his personal life—preferring, for personal reasons, to keep the two very much separate. But somehow, Matthew had discovered he was gay. That gives him a whole new set of taunting to use against me.

However, since Gerald didn’t want to disturb John while he was undergoing and recovering from surgery, it was a case of suck it up, buttercup. By the time they’d done the four-week tour in Taupo, John should at least be back with them. Then Matthew will have to pull his horns in. John won’t stand for any of his bullshit.

The others in the troupe had gone to Taupo