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The Mating Ritual by Tory Richards

On the run for her life, Toni finds safety with an uncivilized group of people living deep in the Carolina Mountains. Direct descendants from a legendary creature, they are more human than beast. With the exception of being big and tall, they no longer carry any of the original Bigfoot hairy, monstrous traits. Yet they prefer the simple, uncomplicated life their beastly ancestors lived. They remain far away from civilization, feeding small town locals with rare sightings that keep the myth alive.

Captured by their rugged leader, Cormac, Toni must undergo an ancient mating ritual in order not to be claimed and mated by any of the other males. Once Cormac mates with her in a public ceremony, she will be off limits to everyone but him, something Toni is grateful for. She gradually falls for the powerful leader, willingly giving in to his ravenous demands for sex. He vows to protect and love her, but can she give up her old life to live with him in the mountains?

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Release Date: November 15, 2013
Publisher: Tory Richards

Excerpt & More

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Unedited Excerpt:
Toni had no way of knowing how long she’d been out. As she slowly regained consciousness she became aware that she was in some kind of cave, lying on something that felt soft, and furry. At first she thought it was a dead animal. She jumped to her feet and moved away from it, only to find that it was just an animal hide. Picking it up, she examined it, before wrapping it around her cold body.

She glanced around the cave, wondering how she got there, and then her memory returned. Where was he? That a man had dragged her there she had no doubts. She could tell the cave went further back, she could see the flickering shadows against the walls, indicating some kind of lighting, but she wasn’t about to go exploring. The loud sound of moving water reminded her that she was still near the river. She turned toward the mouth of the cave, walked to the edge, and glanced down. As far as she could tell, it was the only way out of there.

If she had jumped the night before, she would probably have killed herself. Nothing but boulders and rocks lined the steep way down to the river. Something off to the side drew her attention, and she gasped, recognizing one of the men that had been after her. There was no question that he was dead. His twisted, broken body was lying just inches from the river, his bloody face with glazed, lifeless eyes were staring up at her. She shivered with repulsion, and searched around for his friend, until remembering that she’d heard the sound of a splash.

She looked across the water to the other side, wondering if he’d crossed the river, or was swept away with the powerful current. Even if he did manage to swim across he wouldn’t have been able to climb up the embankment. At least she didn’t have to worry about them anymore. Once she returned to the cabin she’d call Detective Todd, and tell her what happened, and with a little luck, the local police were already searching for her.

Toni didn’t realize how close she was to the edge until she felt the heel of her foot slip over. She screamed when reality that she was falling rushed over her. Once again a muscular arm came out of nowhere, and encircled her waist. Then, with surprising ease she was hauled against a huge male body. She knew it was male because he was naked, and there was no denying the feel of a large, flaccid cock against her backside.

She screamed, and tried to wiggle free. But the man was much too strong for her. He kept her tight against him, grunting when she dug her nails into his flesh. He pulled her away from the cave entrance, and tossed her against the cave wall. She hit it forcefully, crying out, and clutched the fur as it started to slip down.

She swung around, and stared at the man in shock. One thing she knew for certain, he wasn’t Bigfoot. But he was big, possibly seven feet tall. And he was definitely human, his features, rugged and strong, were not totally unpleasant. He had long brownish hair that appeared streaked with blond, his brown eyes conveyed intelligence, and something else. His naked body revealed he was well muscled, from his thick neck, defined biceps, pectorals and abs. His thighs looked like small tree trunks, and his flaccid cock was surprisingly thick and long. The light dusting of hair that covered his body was like any other man, allowing her to see the scars, and other imperfections. He made her think of something wild, and primitive.

Ohmygod! Was he part of the group of people that the locals spoke of, the ones who lived deep in the mountains? Did they really exist? Toni felt her heart race with growing fear. His gaze moved over her much the same way she had examined him. She clutched the fur tighter to her breast. His mouth quirked in the semblance of a grin, which under normal circumstances would have calmed her nerves some. When he moved she gasped, and leaned as far as she could against the cold stone behind her. The closer he got, the smaller she felt.

“What, who are you?” She didn’t even know if he understood, or spoke English.

“My clan call me Cormac. I brought you here.”

His clan?

His gaze continued to roam over her, slowly, as though he could see right through the fur. She cringed when he reached forward and grabbed a handful of her long, brown hair, bringing it up to his nose. Toni pulled it away from him. His response was a grunt, and a tightening of his mouth. It was clear he didn’t like what she did. She swallowed hard. He could probably kill her with one blow. The sheer size of him was intimidating. A flashback of the night before reminded Toni what he was capable of.

“My name is Toni.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to introduce herself, except that he’d saved her life, and maybe if she showed him she was friendly, he would help her.

She wondered how she was going to escape. One thing she did know, she couldn’t stand there all day and do nothing. It might not lead to freedom but she pushed herself away from the wall with the intent of running further into the cave. There had to be another entrance because where they were now, the only way out was straight down. She only took two steps before she felt his hand in her hair, and she was jerked backwards against his solid form. Her hand automatically went to where his was clutching at her hair, and she screamed. He turned her until she could meet the fierce expression in his eyes.

“Let me go!” Toni demanded, trying to pull away from him. She raised her free hand and pounded on his chest. It was like hitting a rock, and probably hurt her more than it did him. When he didn’t respond she continued beating at him, frustrated that she couldn’t seem to hurt him in some way. “Let me go!” She bit him on the forearm.

“Stop, woman!” He growled.

She stopped at his command, and stared up at him, frightened.
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