Stung: Winter Special (5 page)

Crunch finally
pulled away and took off the ring he wore on his neck. “I promised
I’d give it back.”

Victor pressed
his lips together and shook his head without a word. His gaze went
straight for Crunch’s eyes, intense and full of disappointment.

“Hey, don’t be
mad. I ’ave to go…” Crunch uttered and had to look away. He didn’t
mean for it to end so fast, but he knew he’d have to go as soon as
he was summoned.

“I’m not mad.”
Victor shook his head, and his warm hand slid into Crunch’s,
squeezing it gently. “It’s just... so sudden.”

“It is what it
is… I—I can never predict when I’ll be off.” Crunch dared to look
up, with the ring still in his hand. He felt like a failure. Like
he couldn’t give Victor what he wanted and needed.

“For God’s
sake, put that ring back where it belongs.” Victor bit his lip,
squeezing Crunch’s hand much tighter now. It almost hurt.

“I’ll bring it
back next time…?” Crunch swallowed, hope bubbling up in his
heart.

Victor drew in
a sharp breath and nodded, forcing a small smile. “Take good care
of it.”

Crunch laughed,
trying to diffuse the tension in his jaw. “Guess I can’t die just
yet after all.”

“That’s not
funny.” Victor gently pushed his fist against Crunch’s chest.

“See ya, scone.
I’m gonna come back, even if just for that lemon curd.” Crunch
bowed down to steal one last kiss.

“I’ll be
writing you about this,” chuckled Victor, withdrawing his hands. It
was time to go.

“And I got this
to keep me company.” Crunch patted his jacket where he put Victor’s
picture.

“Don’t lose
it.”

“Crunch! Now!”
they heard from the corridor, and Crunch groaned.

“Comin’!” he
yelled back and smiled at Victor before trotting off.

He put the ring
back on his neck. It made him believe he would be coming back.

THE END

Thank you for
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Stung: Winter Special
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Kat&Agnes
AKA K.A. Merikan

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About the
author

K.A. Merikan is
a joint project of Kat and Agnes Merikan, who jokingly claim to
share one mind. They finish each other’s sentences and
simultaneously come up with the same ideas. Kat and Agnes enjoy
writing various kinds of stories, from light-hearted romance to
thrillers. They love creating characters that are not easy to
classify as good or evil, and firmly believe that even some
villains deserve their happy endings. It is easiest to find them in
galleries, good restaurants and historical sites, always with a
computer or notebook, because for Kat and Agnes, every day is
writing day. Future plans include lots of travel and a villa on the
coast of Italy or a flat in Paris where they could retire after yet
another crazy venture, only to write more hot homoerotic
stories.

Kat and Agnes
started as popular authors of online serials written in their
native language, but are now focused on reaching a wider readership
by writing in English. As K.A. Merikan, they have published a
number of books, which cross genres while always staying
homoerotic.

More
information about ongoing projects, works in progress and
publishing at:

http:/KAMerikan.com

K.A.
Merikan on Goodreads

London

1907, twenty
years into the zombie Plague

Reuben is a
baker living in the slums of London, sharing a room with his father
and an extended family of cockroaches. Poor, uneducated, and
repressing all his sexual desires, he leads a life of misery, only
sometimes sprinkled with gin and a rough tumble in a filthy back
alley.

But when he is
abducted into Bylondon to be the slave of a wealthy crime family
member named Erik Dal, his values are put to the test. His new
master is obsessed with all things equestrian, and Reuben soon
learns that if he obeys and performs well as Erik’s horse, he might
just get everything he yearns for: pampering, foods he never even
dreamed of, and shameless sex with a demonically handsome young man
in leather riding boots.

As Copper,
Erik’s treasured dun stallion, Reuben must submit to his new
master’s obscene fancy of possessing another man completely. That
is, if he yearns for treats and not the lick of a riding crop. Fake
tails, harnesses, and a new haircut to his ginger mane help Reuben
transform into Copper, but the fear of losing his dignity in the
eyes of society might just prove to be a bigger restraint than any
bit, bridle, or handcuffs.

All that for
the small price of his freedom. Though at times, Reuben feels it’s
his soul that Erik is after instead.

*

Genre:
m/m erotic romance, bdsm

Themes:
class differences, slavery, steampunk, alternative lifestyle,
Victorian, master/servant, captivity, ponyplay, animalization,
kink, organized crime, violence

Erotic
content:
explicit m/m erotic scenes (including ponyplay)

Length:
~95.000 words

K.
A. Merikan

It’s 1907, twenty years after the outbreak of a
zombie Plague. For a young student of medicine like Clint, the
undead bodies provide an opportunity to study human physiology in
the working. He is a good young man: tidy, well-mannered and hard
working. Focused on his goal to become an excellent surgeon, Clint
has a bright future ahead of him. If it weren’t for a shameful
secret he’s forced to keep, his life would have been perfect.

Xavier, a peculiar foreigner he finds in the morgue
late at night, claims to be an assistant to one of Clint’s
professors, but doesn’t know the first thing about the proper way
to behead zombies. Xavier’s story has many loose ends, but
something about him unlocks all the emotions Clint always kept
bottled up inside. When he learns the truth about Xavier, Clint
finds himself involved in a conspiracy that could destroy
everything he’s worked so hard for. Frightened by the possible
consequences, yet strangely fascinated by the eccentric, tattooed
stranger, Clint follows him to places he would never dare explore
on his own.

“
Off with Their Heads!” is a
standalone book set in the “Zombie Gentlemen” universe.

*

Length:
~17,500 words

Themes (possible SPOILERS):
zombies, turn of
the century London, rebellion, avant-garde art, police brutality,
self-discovery, poverty, class differences, alternative history,
tattoos

Erotic content:
explicit m/m sexual
scenes