Freaked Out
Midnight Rodeo, #5
by Kiernan Kelly
Date of
Publication: November 1st 2016
Publisher: All
Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Erin
Dameron Hill
Genre: Gay,
Paranormal, Romance
Love
and compassion, when least expected, helps the hopeless soar.
From The Book Junkie Reads . . . Freaked
Out (Midnight Rodeo, #5) . . .
A
quick read into the forging relationship between and gargoyle and a snake
shifter. What was it about Micah that drew in the gargoyle Killian? What was it
about Killian that drew snake shifter Micah and allowed him to trust? These two
were an unusual match for two of the rarest kinds of shifters in the paranormal
world.
Killian
has been a protector for most his life. Then to have a new act move in and it
looks to have some abuse going on triggers his protective instincts.
Investigating gave him more than he would have ever dreamed was possible. For
Micah life had been difficult at best and now to have someone interested in
finding out what was going on was new. Will this bring more difficulty to his
life?
I
have to say that I was thrown a bit by the mix but intrigued enough to continue
my read further. I was excited to find out what lay in-store for the two rare
shifters. I had my protective instincts keep up a notch or two. I enjoyed this
latest edition to the Midnight Rodeo
series.
Midnight Rodeo series:
Welcome
to the Pack – Midnight Rodeo, #1 SEE REVIEW
Oklahoma
Rain – Midnight Rodeo, #2 SEE REVIEW
Big
Bear, Little Bear – Midnight Rodeo, #3 SEE REVIEW
Light
a Rocket – Midnight Rodeo, #4
Freaked
Out – Midnight Rodeo, #5 ABOVE
Tails
and Whiskers – Midnight Rodeo, #6
BLURB
Gargoyle Killian has the unenviable job at
Darque and Knight Rodeo of wrangling the sideshow acts. When he meets Micah,
one of the freaks from a new troupe contracted to perform, he's instantly drawn
to the poor, pathetic creature. The more he learns about Micah’s situation with
his reprehensible handler, the more determined he is to protect Micah.
Trapped painfully between two forms—man and
snake—Micah knows nothing about his past except for what his handler tells him.
The attentions of the gargoyle boost his mood, but what can Killian do to help
him find the truth he seeks?
Buy Link: ARe
Killian recognized the setup in an
instant. It was a typical ten-in-one layout. An elevated walkway was
constructed for marks to walk across, which overlooked “pits,” — curtained,
sectioned off spaces on ground level where the freaks were exhibited.
“Hey, you! We’re closed. We don’t open
until four. Get your ass out.”
The voice was rough and carried an
edge of both arrogance and contempt, which made it clear the speaker thought
highly of himself and was used to being obeyed without question. Its owner was
an ogre, creatures known for their craggy faces and sour dispositions. Unlike
most of his ilk, though, this one was less muscled and far fatter than other
ogres with the show. His jowly cheeks sagged on his face, softening the
coarseness in appearance his species were known for and almost melding with the
deep rolls of fat on his neck. A ponderous belly strained the buttons on his
frayed and faded black tuxedo jacket. He kept his sausage-like fingers hooked
into the jacket’s lapels.
“Are you Emmet?”
“Yeah. Are you deaf?”
Killian bristled. Swallowing the anger
summoned by the ogre’s disrespectful tone took what felt like a Herculean
effort. That Emmet assumed at first glance Killian didn’t belong in the tent,
that he was nothing but an insignificant mark, didn’t sit well with him. His
ego was already bruised by his earlier conversation with Phillip; he felt the
sting and the resulting need to hurt back was strong. “Listen, I’m here to—”
“I don’t give a sack of flying pig
shit why you’re in here. Fucking brainless local yokels. Don’t you get it?
Nobody gets a free show. You pay your money like every other fucking mark if
you want to see my acts, and you do it after we open for business.”
“I’m not a mark! I’m—”
“Who are you, then? One of the rodeo
roughnecks? Don’t you have a stake to pound or a pile of cow shit to shovel
somewhere? Get the fuck out before I break you in half and feed you to the
Snake Man.”
Killian felt his instant dislike for
the ogre deepen into active loathing. That is the sound of an asshole speaking,
he thought. His breath must reek of the shit he’s spewing. He tried to fight
against his rising temper. A confrontation with a pissed off gargoyle rarely
ended well, and he didn’t really want to explain to Phil and Cody why he’d
murdered their newest hire. “I’d check my tone if I were you, jerk-off. Unless
you want to find yourself and your acts booted out of the show, that is. I’m
Killian, and I run the fucking sideshow.”
The ogre had the audacity to laugh at
him. “Are you now? Well, I say you don’t run jack shit when it comes to me and
my acts. I make the rules here, and you can fucking suck my dick if you don’t
like it, little man.”
Little man? Seriously? He wants a
pissing contest? Okay, then. No problem. Killian shifted into his gargoyle
form, and noted with satisfaction the glitter of fear as it swiftly replaced
the arrogance in the ogre’s expression. Damn skippy, you fucking overgrown
troll doll. “Nobody fucks with my sideshow. This is how it works here, fuck
face. You report to me, and I report directly to Darque and Knight. You got a
problem with the chain of command, you’re free to voice your concerns with
them. Of course, that might be hard to do after I rip your tongue out of your
mouth and strangle you with it.”
“H-hey, now. No need for threats,
friend.” Emmet held up his hands, palms facing outward, as if to ward off an
impending attack. Not that anything short of a brick wall could stop Killian if
he attacked while in his gargoyle form. His talons would shred the ogre as
easily as a sushi chef could slice sashimi. “Just trying to protect my
investments, is all. You understand, right?”
Typical of a bully, Killian thought.
All bluster and no balls. “I want to see your acts. Now. Darque and Knight may
have signed you on with the show, but I’m the one who decides whether you stay
on.” Not really, but he figured Emmet-the-Asshole didn’t need to know that
nugget of information.
“Sure, sure. I’ll send them into their
pens. Give you the full show.” Emmet moved quickly for as such a hefty man,
although the catwalk trembled under each of his steps. He disappeared behind a
black curtain hung at the rear of the exhibit.
Killian swore softly under his breath.
He’d only meant to wander around, observation without interaction and all that
psychobabble crap. He had no intention of meeting the attractions face-to-face,
but now he was stuck with a private viewing. He felt like a naughty little boy
caught doing something he knew he shouldn’t. He felt anxious and guilty, and
pissed off at himself for feeling that way.
I’m not doing anything wrong, he
reminded himself. This is my job, right? I’m supposed to make sure the acts are
legitimate. Except he hadn’t hired these acts — Darque and Knight had. He
wasn’t responsible for them, Cody and Phil were.
Then why, he asked himself, do I feel
like I am?
Buy Link: ARe
Author Info
Kiernan Kelly's stories of gay romance
envelop diverse themes ranging from paranormal, to fantasy, and science fiction
to contemporary romance. She is the author of over eighty titles available in
both print and ebook.
Kiernan also writes young adult GLBT romance
under the pen name, Dakota Chase.
Author Links:
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