Heritage
Series
Books 1 & 2
By Layne Macadam
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Erotica
Wolf Shifter,
Caleb Grayson’s opinion of humans is lower than a rattlesnake’s belly, that is,
until Lara Walker comes into his life. But can the pretty veterinarian, with
her marmalade curls and flashing green eyes, be trusted with his secret?
As alpha of his
pack he is duty bound to keep them safe and, with genocidal hunters closing in
on them, that means maintaining anonymity. So will sharing his secret
strengthen Lara’s and his relationship? Or will it send her running in horror
and announcing his heritage to the world?
When the
decision to reveal all is snatched out of his hands the revelation, not only
turns her world inside out, but it has far-reaching repercussions neither could
have imagined.
Caleb Grayson’s
fur spiked and his tail swished with anger as without a thought or a care, Nora
bounded off down the street, leapt over the suburban fence and was lost from
sight. His orders to the pack had been clear. Bare minimum—travel in pairs.
Stay together at all times. Watch each other’s back. The lure of fresh rabbit
must have overridden duty and common sense.
The growl he
released was feral as he took off after her. The rules were put in place to
keep his pack safe. Hunters were on the warpath and they were after wolf
shifters with deadly intent. He’d already lost one member to their violence and
would not lose another. Humans, he made a derisive sound. They were uncaring
and self-centered. He’d yet to meet one he liked. He pulled his muzzle into a
sneer and bared his teeth at the thought of that race.
One giant leap
had him over the fence and landing smoothly on all fours on the other side.
Nora was farther up the yard edging closer to her goal, but she was not alone.
Frozen to the
spot he couldn’t move had his life depended on it. It was as if he’d stepped
into a trough of rapid dry cement and was stuck fast. His heartbeat had ramped
up and his tail twitched at the sight of the divine human before him.
Awestruck, he snarled at the smaller gray wolf beside him. They’d talk about
her transgression later. Nora was an adolescent and still in the playful stage
of wanting to hunt live prey. Fresh meat was tempting but no excuse for defying
his orders. She pawed the ground waiting for him to speak telepathically, but
he was speechless. The female human had him dumbstruck and transfixed.
She was a good
head shorter than he, athletically built with dips and curves in all the right
places, and her spiral curls were the color of marmalade and looked every bit
as rich and glossy in the lunar light.
It came to him
in a flash then, this human with her emerald eyes sparkling like gemstones was
his mate. He’d waited centuries to find her, had given up hope, and now, like a
bolt from the blue there she was. Not even Lycan, but human. It was cruel,
preposterous, but true. He had little tolerance for the species, but he ached
to carry her home, cherish her, breed with her, howl with elation, but he
quashed the instinct as his homosapien side surged to the fore—tread carefully,
do not rush this—she may not understand.
“Caleb, what is
it?” Nora’s telepathic voice quivered with unease.
He didn’t
answer, couldn’t answer, so consumed was he with the human before him. Her
shape was visible through the silk of her gown. The night breeze had molded the
thin white material to her womanly form. She was a vision. He was grateful it
was a she-wolf beside him and not a male from his pack.
As he continued
to stare, mouth agape and tongue lolling, the breeze picked up and she
shivered. Her nipples punched out against the flimsy fabric. He whimpered. His
heart pounded faster now as if he’d run for miles at top speed over the rugged
terrain around his Black Mountain home.
“Caleb what’s
wrong, can’t you hear me?” Nora’s voice was high-pitched now and sharper than
normal.
Before he could
speak the woman took a small tentative step toward Nora’s midnight snack. She
reacted on natural impulse. Her fur stood on end, a menacing growl emanated
from lips drawn back in a savage snarl baring sharp teeth. Crouched low and
ready to spring, it was enough to have him recover his voice.
“Stay. The human
is my mate. Threaten her and you threaten me.” As he sent the telepathic
message, Nora dropped to her haunches, and with a whimper assumed a submissive
position—she would not dare challenge him.
The command was
issued with his sight still glued to his female. The stiffening breeze had
whipped the ginger ringlets around her face giving a halo effect, but when her
eyes widened and she trembled, it pierced his heart like a blade. He hated
seeing her frightened, smelling her fear, but at this point there was little he
could do.
Jonah Lawson is
a wolf with secrets. Fate has dealt him a shabby hand, so, long ago, he decided
to lead a solitary life, never to inflict his tortured past on any female. He
takes his pleasures outside the pack with human women, and that works just fine
and dandy until the exquisite Camille Robineau arrives at the compound claiming
relative status to his alpha, and he knows then and there, he’s in serious
trouble.
With his
protective armor slipping, he treats her with sardonic indifference, but when
the headstrong, reckless Camille goes missing, he realizes she’s taken his
heart along with her. His wolf senses ignite and he leads a search party to
find her that ends with dire consequences no one could have foreseen and leaves
Camille making a sacrifice that will impact the rest of her life.
The house, when
it came into view, was not what Caleb had been expecting. Then again, he wasn’t
sure what he’d been expecting, his head was so in a muddle, but a ramshackle
dwelling in the wilderness was not it. The log cabin was from another era and
had seen better days, but it
was clean and
well kept. There was a settee and two rockers on the porch out front, and two
steps leading up to an open front door.
“Looks like
someone’s home.” He drew in a big breath and let it out slow as he parked the
car alongside an old-model Ford at the end of the drive. He got out and scanned
the place with interest as he walked around to open Lara’s door. A banged-up
CTG 750 was under a lean-to a few yards in front of the Ford, and beyond that a
makeshift clothesline, complete with sheets flapping in the breeze, was strung
between two trees.
Lara got out and
stood beside him just as an attractive slender woman, balancing a basket of
laundry on her hip, came out the door and trotted down the steps before
noticing she had company.
On spotting
them, color drained from her face. The basket hit the ground, spilling the
contents onto the dirt in a sodden pile. Her hand covered her mouth.
“Caleb.” The
single word puffed over pale lips in a bare whisper as she dropped to the
steps, sitting down hard with a thud, her hand fluttering over her heart. “Is
it really you?” she mouthed.
Before he could
answer, a male who could only be Connor burst through the open door, sleep
tousled and wearing jeans clearly pulled on in a hurry, unzipped and sliding
off his hips.
He rushed to her
side and touched her shoulder. “Mother, I heard you fall. Are you all right?
Let me help you.”
Lara made a move
forward while Caleb remained glued to the spot, studying the scene as if from
another planet. His mother was striking. And at first glance, Connor and he
were mirror images, but the more he studied his brother, subtle differences
became evident. They were of a similar size, both being big males, but Connor
emitted a latent anger simmering beneath the surface. Although both had wolf
tattoos, his was just on his bicep, while his twin had a complete sleeve. The
most obvious and bewildering difference, though, was the absence of a white
streak in Connor’s raven hair.
Perhaps he’d
misunderstood Rose. He rubbed the back of his neck in contemplation while he
viewed the whole picture. Lara bent down and started collecting the soiled
laundry, shoving it back into the basket. Up until that point, Connor seemed
oblivious of their presence. He spared her a glance now, then flicked a
transient look over him before turning away and helping his mother up and onto the
settee. That was Caleb’s cue.
With determined
strides, he crossed to his mate and clasped her elbow. “Leave that, Lara.” Neck
hairs bristling, resentment rising, he drew her upright and supported her up
the steps. “I didn’t mean to shock you, M-M Amber-Lee.” ‘Mother’ stuck in his
craw. She’d never been a mother to him.
Connor cleared
his throat and with languid movements straightened and zipped his jeans, his
flowing hair wafting in the breeze that had kicked up a notch. Without a word
of acknowledgment or greeting, he slipped a band from his wrist, secured his
long hair in a ponytail, then folded his arms and glowered.
“I guess you
know who I am?” Caleb schooled his features and adopted an affable stance he
was far from feeling.
“Yeah, we know who
you are, and if you think we give a shit, then you’re barking up the wrong
tree.”
Multi-award nominated Australian author, Layne
Macadam, writes hot and spicy romance in a variety of genres, including
paranormal, sci-fi, and contemporary. Always an avid reader, one day, having
exhausted her supply of paperbacks, she decided to try her hand at writing.
After a lot of determination, hard work, and frustration, she completed her
first novel, Desire Unleashed.
With a passion for travel, Layne has been able to draw
on her practical knowledge and experiences when setting the backdrop for her
stories. The Australian Outback plays a part in Obsession Down Under.
Kentucky’s Black Mountain and the Canadian Rockies feature in her shifter
Heritage Series, while her Desire Books follow the antics of a team of Navy
SEALs on their adventures in exotic locations around the globe. Her repertoire,
thus far, includes two novels and four novellas, with the much awaited third
book in her Desire Series to be completed by the end of the year.
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