Dream Reaper

The sale was complete. Stardene looked up at the man. He looked different somehow — suddenly not nearly as handsome as he’d been moments ago. 

“Because you’ve been such a pleasure,” he said in a voice that now sounded cracked and dry with age, “I’ll gift you with a glimpse into things as they really are.”

She watched in horror as his broad shoulders shrank and narrowed. The bones of his face began to protrude, the skin going thin and turning gray until it looked like a mask stretched over sharp bones. His lips peeled back in a skeletal grin, his nose became thin, blade-sharp. The skin of his throat went rotten and receded to expose dried meat, tough tendon, and old bones.The sour reek of spoiled fruit pervaded the cafe.

The salesman bowed and Stardene bit back a scream when she saw yellowed skull through sparse wisps of silver-white hair. “It was a pleasure doing business.” His breath was deep and wheezing, and reeked of dead things. He replaced his top hat, gathered his walking stick, and strolled away on limbs that were too long, his head bobbling disjointedly as if his neck were barely holding it up. He now wore a long trench coat and his black shoes had turned emerald-green and pointed, with bells that tinkled as he walked.

At the door, he turned and gave her a smile and a wave – a flutter of fleshless fingers and a rictus sneer. His trench coat was open, revealing exposed rib bones. Then he tipped his hat and giggled, high and haunting.

Stardene Cassel screamed.

Angel or Demon?

Naive and heart-stoppingly handsome, he calls himself Alejandro, and Madison O’Riley has no clue what to do with him. As they set out to recover his lost identity, Madison realizes the mysterious man who saved her life harbors deep, otherworldly secrets that will put her in grave danger.

The Devil is in the Details

Gremory Jones has something for everyone, and for a price, he’s willing to make a deal. Walking the streets in top hat and trench coat, he tempts the citizens with mysterious wares from his shiny black briefcase. But buyer beware: All sales are final – and fatal.

A Scorching New Terror Has Come to Town

The townspeople are changing in appalling ways and it’s up to Madison – with the help of a psychic, a local priest, and the new chief of police – to help Alejandro unlock his forgotten powers before an unspeakable evil tears apart the fabric of existence … and costs them their very souls …

Dream Reaper

eBook: https://amzn.to/2Sr094m

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3baPJfK

Audiobook: https://adbl.co/2Rxozce

Also available on Kindle Unlimited

“Dream Reaper is as lush and ethereal as it is visceral and unholy. A demonic horde seeks to swallow up the citizens of Prominence made vulnerable by their weaknesses. Those who take a stand against the evil are emotionally damaged as well; particularly a sheriff who battles his personal demons in a bottle. The author had me rooting for each of them in spite of, or maybe because of their flaws. With masterful pacing, Cross brings a small mystery to a raging boil that threatens every soul in Prominence. His exquisite prose drew me into the story as if I were living it. Highly recommended.” 

– QL Pearce, author of the Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs series, and Spine Chillers: Hair-Raising Tales

Haunt me: alistaircross.com