The Beast Without

Book excerpt: Reylan is everything a Sydney vampire aspires to be: wealthy, handsome and independent, carefully feeding off companions plucked from the gay bars of Oxford Street. When one of those companions is killed by Jorgas, a hot-headed young werewolf prowling his streets, Reylan reluctantly puts his cherished lifestyle of blood and boys on hold to help a mysterious alliance of supernatural beings track down the beast. It can't be that hard... not when Jorgas keeps coming after him. But there's more to this werewolf than a body count and a bad attitude. As their relationship grows deeper and more twisted, Reylan tastes Jorgas' blood, reawakening desires the vampire had thought long dead. And what evolves between them may be far more dangerous than some rival predator in the dark... Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Christian completed his MA in Creative Writing at University of Technology, Sydney, soaking up influences such as Anne Rice and Clive Barker along the way. His mostly non-fictitious scribblings have appeared in publications in Australia and Canada, including Same Same and Charlebois Post. Having lived in Brisbane, Sydney and Toronto, his off-the-page publishing career has included stints with Indigo Books and Random House. His dual passions for travel and mythology have sent him chasing legendary monsters across the globe, including vampires in New Orleans, asuras in Bangkok and theatre critics in New York. The Beast Without is his first novel.