Thanks to M.A.Church for having me
today! Since my lovely host interviewed her awesome characters, Jeff and Cupid
over at my blog, she inspired me to pin down a couple of my own, and make ‘em
talk.
So today I’m going to be chatting with
Herne and Tam. Herne the Hunter needs
little introduction. He’s an ancient Greenwood legend, an immortal spirit, who shifts
to sport the antlers of a stag when his blood is stirred. Horny! He’s been with village lad, Tam, since 1588,
when he claimed and remade Tam as a demispirit. I told their story in my novel, Bound to the
Beast, and I’ve just completed a sequel, Locking Horns, which picks up their
story over two-hundred years later, and which is to be released in May.
KB: Hi boys!
Tam: Good day to you, Kay. *narrows his
eyes* I hope you’re not going to do anything dreadful to me this fine spring
morning. You nearly killed me in Bound
to the Beast—I got beaten up by my brothers, the fairies, half the village, and
nearly ravaged by an army of the undead.
And then there was the bondage and the spanking.
KB. I didn’t hear you complaining about
the latter, Tam.
Tam:
Well, no. *pouts and looks shiftily at Herne* But that’s not the point.
I’m bloody nervous about what you’ve got in store for me in Locking Horns.
KB:
I can promise more bondage.
Tam: Yay! I mean, uh, that’s not so bad.
But what about the rest of it?
KB: *looks guilty* Uh, you might get
beaten up a teeny weeny bit, but you know I love making my heroes suffer. Compared
to Cal and Robin Hood in Lord of the Forest (the third Greenwood novel, due out
early April!) you get off lightly, honey.
And you get some mindblowing sex.
Tam: All right. I forgive you. Aren’t
you supposed to be interviewing us?
KB: I would if you’d stop talking and
let me! Er, Herne. Can I ask you
something?
Herne: *looks brooding and snorts*
KB: I’ll take that as a yes. So, how
does it feel to be over eighteen-hundred years old?
Herne: *glowers*
Tam: He’s all right with it really, just
doesn’t like talking about it. We’re both pretty lucky, because we don’t really
age. Herne’s strong as an ox—he can throw me over one shoulder, a Maypole over
another, and still hike ten miles through the forest. He’s a handy fellow to have around. We are getting a bit worried about this
modern age, mind. Times are changing, and Greenwood magic is fading. Few people believe in the old religions of the
forest anymore, and the fairies have gone missing. We remain immortal for now…but who knows what
the future brings?
KB: You’ve only reached 1804, Tam. The
next couple of centuries might get even scarier. The Industrial Revolution has
barely started for you, let alone the space and technological ages.
Tam: *looks alarmed* What are you
talking about?
KB: I’m the interviewer, remember? And how the hell am I going to get Herne to
say something?
Tam: *whispers in Herne’s ear*
Herne: *glowers slightly less and nearly
smiles*
Tam:
I think he’ll answer one after what I just promised him as a reward. Make it a good one.
KB: How about a smutty one? What feels
better—when Tam sucks your antlers, or when he sucks your, er… *blushes
slightly*
Herne: *grins*
KB: Is that all the answer I get?
Herne: No. It’s the latter you silly
little girl.
KB. Oh. Well, thank you. That’s cleared
that up.
Anyway, thanks for dropping by. I’ll
warn you two now, I’ve had so much fun picking up your adventures in 1804 that
it’s unlikely you’re going to remain there for long. The 21st Century is not so far
off, and we’re potty about shifters here! Ready to face the future?
Tam: *strokes Herne’s massive thigh* As
long as we’re together, we’ll be just fine.
KB.
Sadly, the best plots happen when I drive you apart and make you suffer,
at least for a little while, so there might be some choppy waters ahead. Brace
yourself, boys!
Tam and Herne: *glare as one*
Genres: m/m, paranormal, fantasy, BDSM, historical. Novel, 68,000 words.
Blurb: England, 1588. When a
fairy betrothal ritual goes wrong, village lad Tam is bonded to Herne the
Hunter. Warrior, legend, and Greenwood spirit, Herne once led the terrifying
Wild Hunt, an army of the undead who rode as harbingers of doom. When his
passions are stirred and his blood is up, Herne sports the antlers of a mighty stag.
Herne could be the lover Tam secretly craves, but Herne’s past makes him fear the brooding warrior will enslave or kill him. While Herne admires Tam’s toughness and humor, he has rejected love—as he has sworn off leading the Wild Hunt—and wishes only for solitude. To break their betrothal, they must travel into the Greenwood, a realm of magic and bondage where their desires for each other grow dangerously irresistible, and the Wild Hunt bays for their blood.
As the threat rises, Herne’s mastery and compassion realize Tam’s darkest sexual fantasies. Soon he’s no longer fighting for his freedom, wishing to be bound to this beast forever. But can Herne’s tortured heart be reawakened? And if so, will their love destroy them both, or prove Herne the Hunter’s greatest weapon?
Herne could be the lover Tam secretly craves, but Herne’s past makes him fear the brooding warrior will enslave or kill him. While Herne admires Tam’s toughness and humor, he has rejected love—as he has sworn off leading the Wild Hunt—and wishes only for solitude. To break their betrothal, they must travel into the Greenwood, a realm of magic and bondage where their desires for each other grow dangerously irresistible, and the Wild Hunt bays for their blood.
As the threat rises, Herne’s mastery and compassion realize Tam’s darkest sexual fantasies. Soon he’s no longer fighting for his freedom, wishing to be bound to this beast forever. But can Herne’s tortured heart be reawakened? And if so, will their love destroy them both, or prove Herne the Hunter’s greatest weapon?
ADULT
Excerpt:
In an
instant, Tam clambered into Herne’s lap, arms circling about his neck. But far
from an attempt to throttle him as Herne expected, Tam littered kisses along
the line of his jaw, murmuring as he lingered.
“Lord, I
hate you as much as your damnable story makes me want to—gnng!” He bit the lobe
of Herne’s ear, nearly hard enough to draw blood. “Listen, man.” He spoke
breathlessly between sucks. “If this night is all we have, if my time is so
short…then I want to be with you as much as I can. Agh!”
Easing
him off, Herne held him at arm’s length, their knees pressing into a patch of
soft dirt between the stone and the nettles. The lad breathed unsteadily, his
eyes vibrant with waxing desire. Faint in the distance, thunder sounded, echoed
by the hoarse voice of a crow and the whirl of the bats about the ruins. Ah,
the Wild Hunt loved to ride out beneath a summer storm, but he refused to
listen for them. This terrible heat had to break.
“I
swear,” he told Tam, shaking him. “You will know many more nights, and you will
find joy with others. Now you must turn the spit, or the meat will spoil.”
“I don’t
care. Let it burn.”
Plunging
forward, Tam was as keen as his words. He urged Herne into a slow, yearning
kiss, kindling grief, despair, and the barest inklings of happiness. His
warrior’s frame firmed against Tam’s smaller body, enveloping him so naturally
they might have been born to fit together.
Herne
pressed his eyes shut, throwing everything into the kiss, holding Tam so
tightly he could scarcely move, tasting, consuming, and devouring him. Tam
parted his lips wider and yielded to the onslaught, while Herne’s thoughts flew
briefly to the vision he’d experienced as he’d searched the forest. Tam had
implored him to master him, had offered him every pleasure—and then transformed
into that damned holly bush, just as Herne began to understand Tam was all he’d
ever wanted.
The real
Tam governed him now. A lover who desired him as much as Herne craved him, for
the first time in so long.
For the
first time ever.
He felt
as if a fine thread wove through his chest and Tam’s, drawing them tight and
demanding they never broke apart. As he comprehended the lad’s carnal needs
more and more, his body heated and hardened, and his pulse quickened. He saw a
flash of white light, and his antlers split forth from his skull. Kissing on
through the pain, he plundered all the deeper. When he finally broke the kiss,
they both gasped for air. His antlers grew weighty, and his blood raced. He must
be careful now.
“Did you
not understand me, boy? I am dangerous to you.”
“I
know.” Still Tam grew unrestrained. “But at the very least…let me taste you.”
Ripping
apart the front of Herne’s coat, Tam trailed kisses up his throat, along the
line of his jaw. Nobody had ever kissed him with such fervor, and the soft
brush of the lad’s lips brought a lump to Herne’s throat, a pang of
desperation. Tam tasted briefly again of Herne’s lips before he tore away and
scrambled up from the dirt. Tam grasped his antlers before Herne knew what
struck him.
He
jolted, his first instinct to push the lad away, but then he stilled. With soft
fingers, Tam traced his spreading branches, stroking to his very tips.
“Beautiful.”
Tam’s heavy breaths nearly drowned his word, and Herne groaned. He felt only
slight sensations from his bone protuberances, but Tam’s touch reverberated
straight to his aching cock.
“What
are you doing?” Herne’s voice fell to a lust-laden husk.
“I
hardly know,” replied Tam, leaning in. He sucked in one horned tip of an
antler, and Herne’s senses spun. Tam rolled his tongue around the blunted end,
closing his eyes, clearly savoring the sensation. Herne stared at the lad, who
worshipped him with his mouth, relishing his flavor. Sweet Goddess, the steel
rod between his legs wept. He could not bring himself to stop the lad.
Buy
it now links:
All
Romance - http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Kay+Berrisford
