Having been through years of hush-hush operations, rigorous training, and drills, and made several dozen confirmed kills, Jim Hopper finds himself in the prime of his life. A quaint home in the Florida Keyes, a passionate and bright wife, and a daughter and son, each of which he cherished deeply. His love for his family was rivaled only by his dedication to his country and the duties that came with Green Beret service. Upon entering his third, and, hopefully, his final tour of duty, he's given the not-so-new task of asset retrieval by General Granger in the Central American country, Val Verde. However, unbeknownst to him, a fellow hunter of greater standards and morale was assigned an equally familiar task by his superiors. One final hunt before achieving his most desired title among his kind, a trophy gathering of the Earth's most dangerous game.
Blood and Gore warning
Antique store owner Liz brings home a Victorian taxidermy hound from auction, unwittingly unleashing dark forces on her wife and son.
*****
Nat Loman has finally married the love of her life, Liz, and is getting used to her role as stepmother to Liz's 5-year-old son, Liam. The Loman family runs a bustling antique business so they attend a sale where a striking, black taxidermied hound is up for auction. Liz picks it up for the business, but it ends up being stored in their home, where Nat notices strange things occurring. She quickly discovers the past residents had died violently. Then she hears from a friend about the myth of "the devil's dog", a hound that perches in the shadows, tearing families apart from the inside. Soon, people around the Lomans are dying, and Liz is changing, darkening. It's up to Nat to save the woman she loves from the darkness closing in, and to save Liam from danger no matter what she has to sacrifice.
[[Winner of the 2018 Wattys "Hidden Gems" category]]
[[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]