When Salmon Loved Raven; Contemporary Gay Romance
3/5
()
About this ebook
Lake didn’t exactly fit in while growing up. Mostly raised by his Native American grandparents, Lake had the red hair and coloring of his Irish mother. Being gay also hadn’t helped him ever make it to the cool kids’ table. His grandfather filled his head and heart with legends from the time he was a child, explaining that a story is a type of map—that tells you where you are or where you should be going.
But now that he’s a respected executive chef, he’s having trouble finding the right story to understand his growing attraction to Corbin, the new restaurant reviewer who seems to be a disturbing mixture of eroticism and danger. Lake discovers the stories of his own family can be so powerful he begins to repeat them with the predatory Corbin as legends, his father’s infidelity, and his current life blend together as he searches for his own happy ending.
Excerpt:
“I’m honored to have you here,” Corbin heard behind him. He turned and froze for a moment, struck by the appearance of the man who was approaching them. He made a practice not to read the reviews others had written on a restaurant he hadn’t experienced. He wanted to see everything with fresh eyes, but he hadn’t been prepared for an executive chef who looked like someone who fell off the cover for a high-end gay porn magazine. The man was at least six feet, with wide shoulders and narrow hips, emphasized by the white apron. His long red hair was pulled back, emphasizing the sharpness of his cheekbones. His eyes were slightly slanted and pale gray. The eyelashes were obscenely long, and such a darker hue than his hair, Corbin wondered which might be dyed. He stared openly. If the red wasn’t provided by premium DNA, then Seattle had a world-class coloring salon hidden away somewhere. “My name is Lake. Welcome to the Salish Sea. I recognize you as Corbin, but I don’t yet know the name of your companion.”
“Stacy,” Corbin said softly, not taking his eyes off the man in front of him.
Tracy opened up his mouth and shut it again. The fact Corbin had told him he’d only hit him back at the office was not really a guarantee he was safe. He kept watching Corbin, who was acting like his girlfriend when they went to see her favorite band. Or like his little brother when he saw a chocolate cake. It was some sort of primal hunger. He kept watching Corbin watching the man in the white apron. There was something else—a sense of possession. He looked back at the man who continued to speak. The more he looked, the better he understood Corbin’s attraction. If he were gay, his own tongue would be hanging out. All male, but some sort of odd feminine energy. Tracy had grown up with guys his own age declaring that they were gender or sexually fluid, but this was the first time he really understood what that was supposed to mean. Tracy realized being sexually fluid could be an option with the man in the apron.
“How do you know who I am?” Corbin was starting to pull himself back together, blinking his eyes as if trying to clear his head.
Skye Eagleday
NY Times and USA Today Best Selling Author and winner of the 2014 BP Readers Choice Award for Short Stories and Collections--Skye Eagleday is best known for spicy paranormal romance as well as steamy BBW romances. "I was born during the Long Days Moon, right after the Moon of the Singing Frogs. I am Native American and I was taught to be a traditional Storyteller, but I have always enjoyed also working with non-Traditional stories. I was taught that sometimes a Story can be so powerful, it begins to tell YOU."
Read more from Skye Eagleday
Fifty Shades of Gay Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRomancing the Wolf (BBW Paranormal Romance/Werewolf Romance) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alpha Gay Werewolf: Who Tops A Top? Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Bear Bait: How To Seduce A Hot Daddy Bear Gay Gainer Fiction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMcKay's Werewolf Ways (Gay Werewolf Romance) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBear Bait: Gay Gainer Paranormal Fiction Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Loving A Wounded Hero Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVirgin Gay Werewolf First Time Sex Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dangerous Curves: The Ultimate Curvy Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sexy Shifters Gay Mega-Sex Anthology Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Incubus Kiss Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoots & Fangs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAsh: Before Dawn (Native American Gay Vampire Romance) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlpha Gay Werewolves Giant Collection Who Tops A Top? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod Bless This Hero Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWayward Moon (Gay Werewolf Romance) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGender Swapped! (Combining the Flower Power and Me-She Series) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Golden Boy Franco (BBW Romance/Job for a Cowboy) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKing of the Bad Boy Cowboys BBW/Bad Boy Cowboy Romance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove Never Dies Zombie Darkest Fantasy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to When Salmon Loved Raven; Contemporary Gay Romance
Related ebooks
Children of the Wolf Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLunanity Love Life Cult Love Letter for Luna Book 09 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLizzie Borden Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5One Wish Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not Your Average Tail Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlames of Adventure DragonBlood: DragonBlood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Touch of the Sea Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sea Gifts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSisters of Icarus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeloved Wolfe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHollow Bones Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lifeguard Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kissed by Fire: Zodiac Shifters: Maidens Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlackwater Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wildlife Lessons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrisland Stories: Eleven Tales of Folk Magic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWander Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWillow Springs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Surfacing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouls Island Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond a Shadow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kingdom of Rebels and Thorns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5River Magic: Rituals of Rock Bay, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBonfire Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNovel Hearts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNaughty Nights In The Millionaire's Mansion Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Taken Under The Moon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWind Rider: Tales of a New World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pirate's Revenge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeauty in a Scorched Land Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Contemporary Romance For You
Animal Farm Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ugly Love: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Icebreaker: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hopeless Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The True Love Experiment Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe Someday Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Starts with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5November 9: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heart Bones: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Cinderella: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wildfire: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spanish Love Deception: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Your Perfects: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before We Were Strangers: A Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wallbanger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ruin Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confess: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beautiful Disaster: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe Not: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Something Borrowed: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slammed: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Point of Retreat: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Without Merit: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beautiful Bastard Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swear on This Life: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Perfect: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Intense: Erotic Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for When Salmon Loved Raven; Contemporary Gay Romance
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
When Salmon Loved Raven; Contemporary Gay Romance - Skye Eagleday
When Salmon Loved Raven
Contemporary Gay Romance
By Skye Eagleday
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2017 Skye Eagleday
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
When Salmon Loved Raven
Skye Eagleday
Chapter One
Come here, Lake.
His grandfather smiled at him. The little boy’s face was streaked with tears and his pale gray eyes were red and puffy. The old man looked at him and gently hugged him. His wife watched them silently. Then she turned back to filleting a salmon. Let me tell you a story,
he whispered into the boy’s ear as he held him protectively. He felt the child nod. Do you know what your Kayah is doing?
Lake looked up at his grandmother’s back. "Cutting a fish," he whispered back.
"A salmon. She’s fixing a salmon for our dinner. Why don’t I tell you a story about a salmon? Would you like that?" Lake nodded again and then sat back so he could watch his grandfather’s face. It was a very kind face. Brown and round. Heavily lined, with deep grooves around his eyes because his grandfather laughed so often. His hair had a lot of silver shining through the black. Lake unconsciously touched his own auburn hair. His mother’s hair was the same color.
Long and long ago, when the world was younger, the forms of things were not as fixed as they are today. One shape could become another.
The old man watched Lake’s reaction, choosing the words the boy could understand. Like shadows.
He held up his hand in front of the light and made shadows on the wall by his grandson, bringing his hand back and forth to change the shadow’s size and shape. Always changing.
Lake laughed and moved his small hand the way he had seen his grandfather do. Animals looked more like humans, and humans looked more like animals. The Salmon Man was quite beautiful in any form he wore. His long hair glistened red and he smiled easily.
The old man gently touched his grandson’s hair. One day, Raven flew by and in the manner of ravens today, Salmon Man’s brightness caught his eye and he could not resist his desire. He landed lightly and took the shape of a man.
Lake frowned. Was he beautiful, too?
His grandfather was thoughtful.
"Not like Salmon Man. The stories never say that Raven was beautiful. But he was very clever." He took a deep breath. But once you saw Raven, you would never forget what he looked like. That’s not the same as beautiful, but it can be very important.
Now it was Lake’s turn to look thoughtful. His grandfather waited for his attention to return and began again. Raven can be charming and he courted Salmons Man, who had long been alone and was flattered by this attention and the careful words. He offered Raven smoked salmon and he ate to his contentment. He admired Salmon Man’s wonderful hair. Just so, he dipped his sharp silvery fingers into the water of a basket and brushed Raven’s dark head.
As he spoke, he gently brushed Lake’s soft hair. When his fingers combed through, Raven’s hair became as red as his own.
Lake’s eyes grew round and he touched his own hair again. Raven grew complacent…
he hesitated for a moment. …he took for granted the easy food and grateful company. Raven would admire himself, proud of how striking he looked with his new fineness. He only needed to reach out and there would be smoked or roasted salmon. He ate as much as he wanted and he wanted much. One day he reached to take some smoked salmon and it fell down and into the ashes. Amidst such bounty--such richness-- he didn’t bother to even pick it up, but simply kicked it into the fire.
His grandfather stopped. Do you know why that was a very bad thing to do?
Lake nodded quickly and smiled. Because food is sacred. We always have to respect food.
"Yes," his grandfather said proudly. That’s exactly right. But Raven didn’t do that. This lack of respect broke the Salmon Man’s heart. He turned and walked towards the Salish Sea, his own tears joining with the water so they became one. As he moved further into the Salish Sea, his salmon children returned to life and followed him. To Raven’s horror, he watched all of his food disappear and his scalp began to itch. His beautiful red hair fell out and only coarse black feathers remained. It is said the Salmon Man became Mist and he comes near the shore to see if human people treat his children with more respect than Raven.
The old man carefully studied Lake’s face. And then one day he saw a human man who was kind-hearted who respected the salmon and taught others that food is sacred. Although Mist was frightened of being hurt again, he rose from the water and became Salmon Man once more. He spoke to the human man, and gradually they became of one heart.
He looked up and found his wife staring at him, her face empty. We don’t always find the right person the first time we go looking.
He smiled. I had to look a long time to find your grandmother.
She smiled very slightly and then her face flattened out again. He kissed Lake and told him to go outside and play.
The door closed and she watched their grandson chasing the old tom cat that would sometimes come by. That’s not how the story goes, Old Man. You know it was Salmon Woman, not Salmon Man. You know the story just ends with Raven breaking her heart. She never returns to land, but stays Mist Woman.
He nodded. That’s the story I was told.
He put his arm around her and joined her in watching Lake. "But I told him the story he needed to hear. You know he’s a Wackla. A Two-Spirit. It won’t always