Skin Deep

She was lost in a world with no place to belong... Fleeing across the lands of the Neverveil, Irya sought freedom from those who would enslave her. With no family left and no home, she has only her wits and courage left to help her survive. After all, Tremorig was known to be a treacherous place. Tales spoke of the dense, ancient forest being filled with mystery and danger. The very winds and rocks within it whispering of magic. Some say that those who entered its depths never returned. Some say that it is home to those who were neither man, nor beast, but both – 'Ferals' that could shift and changed into different forms. Only the mad and desperate would dare enter such a place, and Irya might just be that. All he wanted was solitude... Var hated humans. Since the slaughter of his mother as a cub, he vowed to never allow them to cross the borders into his homeland... That is until she came and changed everything. After all, Irya was different, she had courage and a heart that was pure with goodness. She needed his protection and so he offered it, albeit reluctantly. Not once thinking that he would lose his heart in the process. Note: This short novella contains approximately 32,000 words and contains sexually explicit material, intended for readers 18 and older. It also contains some violence and themes of a sensitive nature.