Boston 2009: Mathias

By Kari Shuey and Angela Perry

There's a hero and a villain in all of us….

 

Fighting the hunger is a daily battle for Mathias. It drives him to kill, to feast on the blood that sustains the demon within. There is no defeating it, so he channels it. Denying himself the allure of the innocent, he hunts the dregs of the Boston underworld, pacifying his demon with their bitter blood.

 

His latest prey may be his downfall. The vermin has a son—a golden child—with the sweetest blood Mathias has ever smelled. He struggles to keep his demon in check for fear a single mistake will shatter the remains of his humanity. 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kari Shuey
• Release date: Aug 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393454571

Book preview

A tang of evil wafted down the home improvement aisle. A middle-aged man in a rumpled button-down shirt stomped past Mathias, dragging a young boy by the wrist. Eyes half-lidded, Mathias ran a thumb over the smooth plastic handle of the utility knife he held. The man’s aroma was intoxicating, stronger than the abusive woman he’d stalked three weeks before.

Mathias dropped the utility knife into his shopping cart and wandered after them, letting his eyes roam over tools and bottles. The boy glanced back, and their eyes met. He couldn’t be more than eight or nine years old. A grey-brown bruise surrounded his left eye. The boy instantly dropped his gaze. Kids always had a sense for evil, but this one knew when to keep his mouth shut.

The man jerked the boy to a halt at the end of the aisle. Mathias took a deep breath as he passed. The metallic scent held no trace of sweetness. Yes, he would do just fine. This man—this creature—didn’t have a drop of innocent blood in him.

The man shoved a hammer at the boy.

But dad, I don’t want—

Shut up, the man growled. "No son of mine'll