The Nexus
(Legacy Series Book 16)
Available on Audio!
Paranormal Historical Epic
*America, 1980s*
For decades, Jane and Adam have kept their relationship a secret from the feuding races. If either werewolves or vampires find out about their torrid, mixed-race love affair, they would be killed. A mixed pair is an abomination. But secrecy isn’t good enough for them. They want more. Little do they know that hatred, prejudice, and an ancient prophecy would make it nearly impossible to achieve anything close to “normal”.
When Jane finds out that she’s pregnant with the first hybrid child in thousands of years, their list of allies and enemies must finally be taken into account. Who could they trust when their races were on the brink of war? With her father as one of their sole defenders, the unorthodox pair have to get creative in their plan to hide away. The fate of the world depends upon their union surviving this storm.
Excerpt from Chapter 1
Adam Swenson closed his eyes and let his senses feel the room. The clink and scraping of utensils on plates. The creaking of chairs beneath the weight of contented diners. The nearly indistinguishable hum of electric lights in the chandeliers beneath the dull roar of conversation throughout the restaurant. The sizzling of the grill in the back kitchen and clatter of pots and pans. He could pick out the smells, both pleasing and suffocating. Perfumes, colognes, wines, the savory aroma of masterfully prepared food, the sweat of the kitchen cooks, and the starch in the tablecloths.
Beyond the tall, darkened windows, the rumble of traffic along the busy city streets reminded him just how far he was from home. This sort of high scale dining experience wasn’t his kind of place. Even sitting in a corner booth, well out of the way from prying eyes, he felt out of his element. Adam had never been comfortable in places like this. Only she made it all worth it.
The front door to the restaurant opened, bringing in a brisky winter’s night chill that carried even more scents to his table. Car exhaust and the general filth of the city met him, but they didn’t make his mouth curl into a smile. It was the scent of jasmine. So familiar and more pleasing than any manmade perfume.
He opened his eyes and watched her slip off her coat to hand to the valet at the hostess stand. Skin, as pale as moonlight and equally as radiant, contrasted sharply with her black, strapless dress. The fabric clung to her curves, but stopped short just above her knees. The jewels in her earrings and necklace caught the light, giving her even more of a sparkling appearance. Long blonde hair hung down in loose waves around her shoulders. Gray-blue eyes accentuated by dark makeup found him on the other side of the room. But it was the smile that rendered him breathless.
She was beauty personified, but her soul and strong spirit were what he loved most. She brought out a calm in him that couldn’t be duplicated anywhere else. His wolf, as wild as it could be at times, was tamed by her. Every day, she gave him a new reason to love and cherish what they shared. Her wit, her generosity, her grace, and the way she could be tender and considerate, but still know her own mind. He knew he would never meet another woman who could set him aflame as she did.
Jane Gennari followed the hostess to his table. Some question was asked, but he heard nothing. All the noise, the smells, the people, escaped his perception entirely. All that existed was Jane. After over seventy years, she still made him feel like a lovesick puppy that was willing to beg and grovel at her feet for any morsel of love she was willing to impart. But after all that time, he never had to ask. She gave freely and it showed in the kiss she gave him.
“Have you ordered yet?” she asked, her voice still as captivating as it had been the first time they met.
“I was waiting for you.”
She gave him a tightlipped smile and crossed her legs at the knees, drawing his attention southward. “You know you never have to wait. It’s not as if I’ll eat anything.”
That was true. A vampire only needed one thing and that wasn’t anything this restaurant could offer.
Adam let his arm slip its way around her waist, knowing full well that he was more than allowed. “I do it out of courtesy, not practicality.” He planted a kiss on the crown of her head and enjoyed the way she nestled into his side. “Did you sleep well?”
“Only before you left.”
“How can you tell when that was?”
Jane reached around to her side and interlaced her fingers with his. “When you leave, it’s like the air in the room leaves with you.”
Adam looked to their intertwined hands as a bit of sadness touched this perfect moment. “Only one more night,” he mumbled.
“Don’t think about that.”
“It’s difficult not to. You know the parting gets worse every time.”
She knew it all too well. In the beginning, they had agreed to a separation of only a year. One year together, one year apart. When that became too much, they settled on one year together and six months apart. Gradually, as traveling across vast distances became easier, they trimmed off the weeks and months until their schedule became more and more sporadic. Now, they saw each other as they pleased and only parted upon absolute necessity.
If Jane spent too long away from her own kind, they were in danger of discovery. Their list of enemies was too long and too daunting. They had their allies, but they were few and with limited influence. The consequences of their unorthodox union would be disastrous. They had hidden their love affair for so long, but they could never forget the risks if they were found out.
Adam’s somber thoughts were interrupted by the waitress asking for their drinks. Both requested water and he ordered the appetizer he had been eyeing for the last fifteen minutes while he waited. There wasn’t much on the menu that he could eat, but the a-la-carte options afforded him enough that would keep him satisfied. Thankfully, few humans these days gave him sideways looks when he ordered nothing but meat.
“Do you have your plane ticket ready?”
Jane took a deep breath and began slowly turning her empty wine glass by its stem. “Yes, unfortunately.”
“And your bags?”
“They’re packed. I wanted to make sure we had enough time to ourselves tonight.”
“Did you settle on what your excuse would be for missing the first few days of… what was it again?”
Jane smirked. “Winter Solstice. And yes, I have my excuse. Father knows it too, so everything will corroborate.”
Michael Gennari was their most trusted advocate. It hadn’t been that way in the beginning, but his support had been monumental over the years. He covered for them too many times to mention and provided well for his daughter and her secret lover. Without him, everything would fall apart.
“So, what’s on the agenda for this last night together?” Adam asked. “Another club? Another art gallery? Or will we walk around and look at the lights again?”
Jane giggled. “You say that as if you haven’t enjoyed the last few weeks. Don’t you like New York at Christmas time?”
“I like it, because you like it.” Adam pulled her in closer. “I know New York suits you, but not me.”
It wasn’t a secret that he couldn’t enjoy himself in the din of city life. His wolf, the spirit that he could never deny or ignore, didn’t like it either.
“We can take a walk through Central Park… again.”
He could tell by the hint of dejection in her voice that such a plan wouldn’t suit her, even if it was his only favorite part of the city. “We’ve been there enough. We can do whatever you want tonight. Even if it’s walking in ankle-deep snow or milling about a room full of stuffy rich people staring at paintings.”
That rewarded him another laugh. “No, I had something else in mind.”
Adam turned to her and saw that look. The look he had seen a billion times that never failed to amuse and thrill him. “Really?” he asked with a smirk.
“You said anything. No one will notice. Just a little taste?”
“I’ll notice.” Adam bent his head toward her. “Do you really want to make a scene?”
Her wicked grin widened. “I’m not as shy as I once was.”
With a sigh, playing the reluctant spoiler of a greedy child, he angled in just the right way for her to take what she wanted without anyone seeing her true actions.
Jane stretched herself up, one hand supporting herself upon his thigh as her mouth descended upon his neck. To anyone else in the restaurant, it looked as if Jane were only seducing her tablemate. If anyone knew what she was really doing, knowing gazes would turn to horrified stares.
A single fang pierced his skin and dragged as easily as if she were biting into a piece of succulent fruit. Drops of blood seeped from the small incision. Her tongue slid in to collect with the mastery of a vampire that had done this for centuries. In truth, she had.
It wasn’t much, just as she promised, but it did just as he predicted it would. She had once explained that her saliva was like the most potent aphrodisiac in existence. Any vampire who fed upon a victim – or donor – of the opposite sex would feel its effects. It would take the self-discipline of a saint to resist the biological urge it produced. Adam wasn’t a saint. Not even close.
His head became light, touched by a spell of dizziness. His core tightened as the rest of him felt limp and helpless in her hold. The hand upon his thigh was red hot as her lips lingered on him long after the cut had healed itself. Being a werewolf gave him two unexpected advantages to their irregular affair. Adam could supply more blood than she could ever need, and that blood was just as addictive as her love was to him.
Adam cleared his throat as his manhood began to stiffen and throb for her as it had countless times before in this exchange. Jane noted her cue and eased back into the booth beside him.
“Too much?”
Instead of answering her in words, he cracked open his eyes to reveal the lustful red hue. That used to alarm her, especially in a public place. Now, they excited her. Jane leaned up to kiss him, which only added fuel to the fire steadily growing in his chest. If she continued this way, they were likely to be thrown out of the restaurant for indecent behavior.
Adam, seasoned in restraint, still couldn’t help himself and pulled her in so she could feel that fire for herself. His wolf, just as eager for more, permitted one growl of warning for his partner. Jane pulled away again and smiled, knowing exactly what she had done.
“I guess we’re not going to wait for the appetizer?”
Adam shook his head and forgot all about his hunger as it was displaced with a new and powerful need.
(End of Excerpt)