"Bear-heart, the Devil & the Cat"

Extracts form ESSA ZAHIR’s occult, mystery thriller “Bear-heart, the Devil & the Cat”. Fantasy genre with aspects of adventure, thriller, humour, romance, occult, shamanism, horror.

Synopsis

19 year-old Valmere, abused and damaged runs from home. By his mid twenties and under a new alias (Jean-Paul) he becomes a big star circus performer in Eastern Europe. Cursed by his hidden darkness, fate robs him and he’s trilled for murder. A shadowy figure buys his freedom and he restarts life in British Columbia.
In the outback, he teams up with a wild yank- John Tucker and the two become outlaws. Referred to as “Bear-heart” for his courage and strength, he falls deeply in love with Tuckers sister. But darkness finds him again in the form of monstrous black cat, seizing his lovers’ life in limbo.
Bear-heart takes on the dark forces of this world and the beyond to save her.


Ebook available on Lulu.com on the link below. Actual book contains adult material in places and needs age verification:
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FREE PROMO available. 74-page download on Lulu.com. Various extracts, depicting how the ‘cross-genre’ aspects come together. No age verification needed for this document:
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EXTRACTS:

From sub chapter: Bear-heart and the bear

“His focus had turned more inward in reflection to the demons he had to slay, just so that he could one day walk among people without ever fearing what would come out of him”.


From Sub chapter: Beast among men, man among beasts

““Hell breaks loose for beauty and the beast on opening night!”
Whilst hers were glamorous pictures with poses and smiles, before and after the show, Jean’s only that of a wild-man. One in particular fitted the bill selling the beauty and the beast theme like no other. It was Jean captured looking over his shoulder, checking behind him the one time, right after he’d pulled Soltan off to take him off the pitch. A close up of his face caught in the moment’s light effects, which had dramatized his intense expression. His hair was loose, messy and sweaty with a slightly silhouetted image except for his eyes that shone out, exuding ‘animalism’. Something very dangerous and - panther-like!”

““Wild-man of Asatanian extraction beats a half-tone beast of a bear out of control into submission with his bare knuckles. Is he for real?” articles and stories circulated”.


From Chapter five: Odd Man Out, Odd Man In

“‘You don’t belong here. You know that, I know that and so does everyone else here. But you are hungry for a piece of that pie you hold in your inner vision when you haven’t even thought what it is you’re reaching for’ she said as her very straightforward answer slapped him across the face. He stood there speechless.
‘…Enjoy the ball while you’re with us’ she said as she walked off.
‘Enjoy the ball while you’re with us. What the fu** was that supposed to mean?!’ Jean stood there stunned, trying to figure out the multitude of layers the short and deadly conversation had thrown in his face. Half of him wished he never asked anything in the first place, but the other was now so pumped up and even intrigued that he couldn’t get her out of his head!”

‘Well, how would you suggest men better themselves?’ a lady tried to corner Jean.
‘…Other than develop their bodies and put on a show!’ Hugo rushed straight in- rude and direct.
‘Schooling is good. But all the books and fancy education in the world won’t amount to anything if a man can’t be a man’ Jean answered, which made just about everyone burst into spontaneous laughter. All except for Agnieszka and - Franc.
‘What do you mean by that young man?’ Franc asked.
‘…To have a heart – stand for what’s right and fight your ground, even when you know you don’t have a hope of winning. To know and honour those who’ve been good and kind to you in your life’ Jean said silencing the group as he grabbed Agnieszka’s hand, kissing it respectfully without ever lowering his own dignity. ‘…and to know where you belong – and where you don’t belong – and when it’s time to quit…’ Jean finalized before he walked off and out of the mansion altogether”.


From sub chapter: Lion’s den

“Yet again, Jean had resorted to using his fists seeing no way out of a situation. Drawing blood from a fully-grown bear out of control was one thing, knocking out and breaking the nose of one of Ruskovnia’s first sons and giving a prize-wining horse brain damage- was another. Agnieszka was deeply embarrassed to say the least. Of all the ways she visualized Jean putting a foot wrong, this was the furthest thing from her worst nightmares, especially since it had to be at Franc Roseau’s! What a way for Jean to fu** up!”



From sub chapter: morning of the living dead

‘Freeze you pervert, or I’ll blow your naked ass through and out of the window!’ a woman’s voice suddenly warned as Jean held his breath.
‘I’m with John Tucker’ he wanted to say, but the young woman never gave him a chance.
‘Turn around with your hands up and no sudden moves!’
‘So now you want me to move?’ he thought best to ask, given the first order to ‘freeze’.
‘Don’t get smart with me you son of a bi*** – I’ll ask the questions around here! Now, turn around slowly with your hands up you big bastard!’ she said, sounding very nervous, ticked off and dangerous!
Jean slowly turned around – but with his hands still covering his privates.
There she stood. A young woman in a puffy nightgown, which covered her body, neck to toe like a shapeless bag. She had a pair of very unflattering specs on, which only magnified the angry and bloodshot eyes behind, and her hair looked like a beaver run over by a truck.
‘Are you sure you want me to raise my hands?’ Jean asked nervously and still unsure what he had to do and what not, to avoid getting blown away. Only then did it occur to her that under the circumstances, the order was perhaps not a good idea. ‘Now take it easy – and take your hands off the trigger…’ Jean tried to calm her down.
‘Shut up!’ she yelled.
‘Okay- okay just relax!’
‘Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?’ she yelled back.
Nervous with the shotgun pointed at him, Jean temporarily got lost for words where to start.
‘Well, come on- speak up. What’s the matter – cat got your tongue?!’ she said.
Just then, the side door opened and Tucker walked in very slowly with his head down, holding his stomach.
‘…Jean, meet Annelie- my sister and the reason why I’m alive – darlin’ sis’ meet Jean-Paul, the man who saved my life…’ he said never engaging anyone in the eye, or seemingly interested in the least bit about the kitchen drama. He made his way slowly across the kitchen and out. Just as he made it out onto the porch, he began hurling and puking his guts out”.

“But who was the stunner that made Jean’s jaw drop?!
She had a red fitted top on to waist, tight blue jeans revealing an eye-popping figure, and a rockabilly-girl hairdo: pompadour and twirl at the front, and a ponytail at the back. But more than anything, it was her radiant beautiful face and glowing smile that bewitched Jean as he stood there stunned. It was Annelie – as she normally looked. Not the bad tempered, frightful hag who’d been up all night to do her store’s accounts, wearing her reading glasses”


From sub chapter: devilcat

“A long, long way from New Hope, the blackness of night stirred in the mountains. Black paws stepped, descending down from the highest peaks.
It was a creature with a void for a soul - driven by a hunger that couldn’t be satisfied. Flesh as well as shadow, the devil on four legs existed in a dualistic plane, where the common world met that of the spirit world.
No one would truly know where exactly it originated from or what it was after. But there – it suddenly appeared!”


From chapter thirteen: DevilCat Morn’

“An ordinary man would not complicate the matter. Embrace her and let destiny decide the rest. But Jean – wasn’t ordinary. Where he went, darkness followed. What he touched was also touched by that curse. What he cared for – he lost. He wanted her. He was ready to change his life and his ways to fit that someone special. But how could he reconcile any thought of a happy life, given the evil that struck through his own hands?”

“But already, Jean-Paul or Bear-heart as all the Indians began calling him, had become something of an enigma. ‘Indian titles’ rarely attributed to any white man, yet alone a prestigious one like “Bear-heart”. Sure, the mountains had seen their pick of adventurers, brave-hearts and ‘lone wolves’. But no one radiated that certain something extraordinary the way it oozed off Jean. Perhaps it was the very nature of the conflict he carried that made his stare something unlike that of – mortal men”.


From sub chapter: Demon in the flesh

“‘We must be careful not to let the handiwork of this animal get the better of us! It’s still only a cat and the death of my partner was – provoked. The cat is not hunting people for food, which must be taken into consideration’ Thompson said.
‘You can let it go’ a voice from the back of the audience said as heads turned. ‘Let the DevilCat go. Its spirit is angry because you have violated his home. You will never catch it. It’s been empowered by our ancestral spirit gods to reclaim its land. So far, its deeds have only been a warning. Pursue it and its spirit will cast a curse on all those who wish it harm!’ a tribal Indian elder, standing next to Gabriel said”.

“‘Tell me you love me. Tell me whatever happens here on, we’ll always be together. Tell me you’ll never let go of me. Because in body and soul, I’m yours for all eternity…’ she said.

Staring into her haunting eyes and expression softly lit up by the moonlight through the window, Jean felt his deepest soul unifying with hers. And then the words found their own way ‘…Nothing will take away what I feel for you. No gods above – or devils below - not even death’”