Lycaon's Fire by Jeff Schanz

A small town hides a savage mystery someone is killing to protect. A mild-mannered drifter carries a deadly secret that leaves slaughter in his wake. They clash at a remote bus stop on the way to nowhere, with time to kill. * * * * * The legend of the flesh-eating wolf-people that live in the mountains has preyed upon a remote Montana town for years. People go missing, presumed dead, suspected eaten alive. Though the myth is considered silly superstition to most residents, someone or something is killing to protect the truth. A mild-mannered drifter named Merrick, a haunted man with his own brutal, deadly secret, passes through the town, accidentally setting in motion a chain of events that will bring the town’s bizarre mysteries to light. When a fearless and feisty young waitress named Kat offers her help, she and Merrick fall into the murderous crosshairs of entities who eliminate anyone that threatens their agenda. On a forested mountain, far from anyone who can hear them scream, Merrick, Kat, and their allies are hunted in an unholy ritual, where the game is survival and the prize is life. But not all who are hunted are easy prey. Something else that no one counted on, something powerful and savage that can kill with the swipe of its clawed hand, also stalks the mountain. In the light of the sacrificial fire, the bloodthirsty hunters will face an unfathomable killing machine in a showdown that pits monster against monstrosity.

Adult • Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense/Supernatural and Paranormal