Book Title: Good as Hell
Author: Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid
Publisher: Eine Kleine Press
Cover Artist: Clancy Nacht
Release Date: October 1, 2020
Genre/s: MM Romance Urban Fantasy, Humor
Trope/s: Stuck together, Unlikely soul mates, the Chosen One
Themes: Power corrupts, good v evil, silly and sexy but with feels
Length: 65 000 words/ 245 pages
It is a standalone story.
Buy Links
Sex magic, infernals and void cats, oh my!
Blurb
It’s a mysteriously charmed life for orphan Sebastien Harris, but it’s still a shock to be offered a full ride to attend grad school at the obscure but prestigious Bosch University in upstate New York. Trouble starts as he attempts to reach the campus for his interview: first the train is cancelled, then a swarm of migratory air mattresses block the streets. When he finally arrives, he’s too exhausted to question why a remarkably handsome man named Gem is waiting for him, nor does he have time. A demon horde demolishes the university, and the pair run for their lives—at which point Sebastien realizes Gem is not, strictly speaking, human. Their adventure exposes Sebastien’s heritage…and reveals the prophecy he is destined to fulfill. Gem is infernal, a human-demon hybrid, and meant to be Sebastien’s servitor, a magical well from which Sebastien, a warlock by birth, will draw the power to remake the world. If he survives.
Touching down on the manicured lawn, Gem kept his arms wrapped around Sebastien to steady him and then tucked away his wings once more. When they were stored in null space, the only thing to give away their presence were the cleverly tailored slits in the back of his coats, stitched into the voluminous folds of his opulent clothing and appearing mostly as darker shadows in the black fabric.
Velvety green surrounded by riotous blooms tucked in neat, curving beds stretched around them, filling the air with the sweet fragrance of flowers and fresh-cut grass. A familiar bouncer—was his name Matteo?—hailed them as Gem guided Harris to the ruby door set into dark stone.
“Gem! It’s been a while.”
“Not that long,” Gem responded, feigning cheer. “I’ve brought a friend. We’ll need a private room. He’s shy.”
Matteo smiled and nodded as he scanned Harris with his second sight. The tingle of his spirit reaching out passed over Gem too. Then Matteo opened the door and waved them through. “You’ll want to take the Amethyst Room.”
Gem grunted his approval and then rested his hand at the small of Sebastien’s clammy back, steering him into the luxurious environs of the Corinthian Girl, Gem’s preferred address in the city. It was, as Harris appeared to be quickly realizing, a rather exclusive sex club. Beautiful naked people fucked joyously on all the furniture and against some of the well-clad walls. After the bright, sharp smells of the rooftop, the musk and sweat were almost oppressive.
Harris turned and held up his hands. “Now this is the kind of dream content I deserve. Though it certainly uh… smells real.”
The insistence it was a dream kind of charmed Gem, and it was certainly convenient. Humans were unpredictable under stress. If Harris decided this was real, he might well start screaming and then…
Well, Harris screaming wouldn’t be the worst thing, but Gem would prefer if be under more pleasurable circumstances.
“So what’s an Amethyst Room? Though I guess if it’s my dream, I should know. Dreams are strange.”
“It’s a room full of amethysts.” That should be obvious, no? “They attune energies during certain rituals.”
Which rituals should be evident from the establishment. Really, though, what mattered to their current situation was the energy nullification the surroundings provided. While Gem wasn’t certain what to expect, it was best to be safe than sorry in case they unleashed whatever power the Harris legacy held in reserve.
With a tiny thrill of anticipation, Gem grasped the golden handle and opened the vibrantly prismatic door into the Amethyst Room. The room itself had been grown inside a giant raw amethyst that formed walls, ceiling, floor. Cut, polished stones dangled from the ceiling on golden chains, reflecting the soft light of rune-etched beeswax candles. Subtle incense filled the air and created hazy, light-diffusing smoke. Of course, the centerpiece was the enormous bed clothed in pale violet silk. Polished amethyst beads adorned its tufted silk headboard.
Good vibes abounded, and they’d need all of them.
Harris stepped into the room and looked around. “Oh. Very literal. All right. Cool, cool.”
He headed straight for the bed, turned to face Gem, and began unfastening his belt.
“Ohh, I get it now. Gem. Gemstone.” Harris gestured vaguely. “I’m working this metaphor hard, but maybe it’s a good sign. I’ll Google when I wake up.”
Gem blinked and then arrested Sebastien’s hand. “I didn’t bring you here to fuck.” He couldn’t help the leer in his voice though, or the way he sized Harris up anew even as he denied him. “And it’s not a dream. You’re a warlock, Harris.”
“I’m a little past hoping to get an invitation to Hogwarts.” Harris sighed as he looked down at Gem’s hand on his. “You brought me to a sex club to not fuck? How do I strike out even in my dreams?”
“Bosch was just assaulted by demons, I flew you with my wings to New York City, and your response is to take off your pants?” Gem raised a brow and cocked his head to the side, not bothering to hide his amusement. “I know you’re young, but… That’s horny even by Infernal standards.”
“I mean, yeah it’s pretty weird, but my therapist says that dreams aren’t usually literal. It’s a safe space to explore gender and sexuality. It seems pretty obvious to me that you’re a manifestation of some sort. Maybe I’m working through being literally fucked by my demons. I mean… or getting shut down by them. I wonder what Joan is going to say about that.”
Shrugging, Harris sat on the bed. “So what lessons are you here to impart upon me? Lay it on me, subconscious.”
Clancy Nacht
Clancy Nacht is a bisexual genderqueer person who lives in Austin. Many of her books have been honored with Rainbow Awards; Le Jazz Hot won for Best Bisexual/Transgender Romance & Erotic Romance. In 2013, Black Gold: Double Black was a runner-up for a Rainbow Award. In 2015, Gemini won an Honorable Mention for Gay Erotic Romance and in 2016, Strange Times won an Honorable Mention for Science Fiction. Wyatt’s Recipes for Wooing Rock Stars was a finalist in the highly competitive William Neale Award for Best Gay Contemporary Romance. The Phisher King won second place in the Rainbow Award for Romantic Suspense.
Thursday Euclid
The Thursday Euclid is a strange and elusive creature dwelling in the Texas Gulf Coast region. Frequently mistaken for Bigfoot, Chupacabra, or the monster of the week, he is, in fact, a 30-something black sheep with a penchant for K-pop, geekery, and hot and sour soup. When he’s not playing Dragon Age or World of Warcraft, he’s probably watching B-movies or talking to his best friend and frequent collaborator Clancy Nacht. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, or email him at thursdayeuclid at gmail dot com.
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