Rebirth - Book 1 Rogues Shifter Series

by Gayle Parness

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  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to thank my two editors, Emily Schiller and Anneli Purchase, both of whom worked very hard to help me create the best book possible. I’d also like to thank Reba Buhr, for her hard work in narrating the audiobook version of Rebirth. I’d also like to thank Nicole Blanchard and Indie Sage for helping me with promotion and marketing. A special thank you goes to my daughters who inspire me every day and to my brother who loves to hear all the crazy stories I carry around in my head. And as always, I’d like to express tons of gratitude to my readers, who often stick with Jackie on her long journey and root for her to find happiness. Thank you.

  Cover design by Tatiana Villa: https://tat-94.wix.com/viladesign

  Other Books by Gayle Parness

  ROGUES SHIFTER SERIES

  BOOK TWO: Stalked Jackie and Garrett travel to Faerie to celebrate the Midsummer Solstice Ceremony with their new fae allies, only to become the hunted enemies of a powerful fae lord who wants to claim Jackie as his own. At the same time, Garrett's team of rogues go undercover to find a female fae warrior who's disappeared without a trace. What and who they find instead, turns everyone's life upside down, forcing Jackie to have to choose between family and friendship. Read Chapter one here.

  BOOK THREE: Twisted

  BOOK FOUR: Blown Away

  BOOK FIVE: Caught Between

  BOOK SIX: Torn Apart

  BOOK SEVEN: Cut Off

  BOOK EIGHT: Available winter, 2016

  TRIAD SERIES

  BOOK ONE: Breaking Out Charlie sets off with his best friend, Jay, a grizzly shapeshifter, excited to finally be making his own choices and following his own path. After taking time to rough it in the Sierras, he and Jay finally make it down to LA, where they figure they can enjoy some R & R of a more civilized kind. However, before long, they're caught up in a dangerous mess involving a girl with a secret, a violent pack of werewolves, and an irritated king. As the two friends try to handle this convoluted situation without endangering the human population, they are being watched and followed by a dangerous being with an agenda all his own.

  BOOK TWO: - Falling Out - available fall, 2015

  BOOK THREE – Spinning Out - available spring, 2016

  THETA SERIES

  BOOK ONE: Playing with Passion

  BOOK TWO: Yielding to Pleasure

  Review from the Pedantic Punctuator: Gayle has created an amazing world, filled with characters you will both love to hate, and some you will grow desperately attached to. Throughout the book, the growth of the characters was realistic and entertaining, and I found myself utterly engrossed in their adventures.  I desperately wanted to see the theta troupe escape their enslavement and the relationships between the various members of the troupe was enjoyable and fun to read.  As an editor, I was impressed with Gayle’s writing – as a reader, I was engrossed and can’t wait to read the second book in the series.  4 1/2 stars.

  Read an excerpt of this adult paranormal romance on Gayle’s website:

  https://www.gayleparness.com/playing-with-passion.html

  About the Author

  I'm fortunate to currently be a resident of a lovely town in Northern California, a magical place within the context of the mortal plain, where flowers bloom all winter long and people actually smile and say hello when they pass you on the sidewalk.

  I've spent most of my professional life working with community theatre groups in NYC as a costume designer, production manager, stage manager, etc... Over time I've adopted the philosophy that life is one enormous theatrical extravaganza and I'm merely doing my best to keep it interesting for myself, my family, my friends and hopefully my readers.

  I've read fantasy my entire life and still read into the wee hours. Steven King said something about not having the tools to write if you don't spend a good amount of time reading. I'm continue to strive toward perfection on that front, although I’ve expanded my list of genres to include romance, science fiction and literary fiction. I hope you stop by my website, Facebook or twitter page to say hi or leave a comment. Happy reading.

  Contact:

  Visit Gayle at https://www.gayleparness.com

  Or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gayleparness

  Or on Facebook: https://facebook.com/gayleparness-author

  Copyright:

  Rebirth: Copyright 2010 Gayle Parness

  Stalked excerpt: Copyright 2011 Gayle Parness

  Playing with Passion excerpt: Copyright 2015 Gayle Parness

  Thank you for purchasing an authorized edition of this ebook.

  Rebirth is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales are coincidental.

  Excerpt from Stalked: Book Two of the Rogues Shifter Series

  Stalked - Chapter One

  This was one of those days when I had to keep telling myself I was not hallucinating, even though I’d questioned my sanity several times in the last six weeks. I was truly riding in a white limousine, holding hands with an extremely attractive vampire, sitting across from two high-seelie fae on my way to celebrate the Midsummer Solstice Celebration with a group of ancient fae lords and ladies. Yep, Jackie Crawford, that would be me, was going to Faery. No lie.

  As we drove through the Cascade Mountains in northern California, Garrett Cuvier, the aforementioned gorgeous vampire, was making lazy circles with his thumb on my palm as he discussed tonight's meeting with the other two passengers. Across from us sat Liam, an adorable and powerful half-fae/half human, my teacher and my friend, and Kaera, a lovely but serious representative of the Fae Council of Elders. I hadn’t seen her smile once.

  Spread out across my feet and cutting off my circulation in the process, sprawled Samson, a protective Rottweiler Garrett and I had inherited after the death of our friend, Carly. Liam had insisted the sweet natured mutt accompany us. I’d argued against bringing the dog at first, but I’d learned the hard way not to take Liam’s advice lightly.

  Samson grunted and stretched his huge body across the floor of the limo, taking up even more room and covering my feet completely with his black and tan belly. Garrett and I laughed out loud. Liam smiled good-naturedly while Kaera continued to stare out the window, her expression bordering on glum.

  I sent to Liam mentally, “What’s up with her?

  “She is worried about a family matter, but it is her nature to be reserved around non fae.” Not having any blood relatives of my own, I could only guess at how family problems could mess with your head. I felt bad for her, but I wouldn’t let her gloomy mood ruin my happy one.

  I snuggled closer to Garrett and peeked again at Kaera, who seemed a million miles away. She tapped her foot impatiently, probably irritated the trip was talking so long. She and Liam could have transported us to Faerie instantly through the ley lines, but because it would have been my first time to travel inside the magic, they decided a car trip would be a much gentler journey and that I’d arrive in a healthier state. Apparently, many non-fae had trouble traveling directly through the hidden energy that crisscrossed the human world, feeling nauseous and weak at the end.

  Hey, I’d been willing to give it a try, in fact I was kind of looking forward to it, but since they were all against it, I’d agreed.

  Thinking about traveling through magical rivers of energy to get from one place to another would've had me doubting my sanity just a couple of months ago. Back then, I’d thought of myself as a human girl with several extremely odd and uncomfortable abilities. I could run faster than any Olympic track star, and my senses were so acute I could hear a baby cry ten houses down the block or see a bird dive for the ocean a few miles away. I’d struggled daily to keep these talents hidden from the world and live as normal a life as possible, but it hadn't been easy.

  O
n the evening I learned the truth, my life began to corkscrew in a roller coaster ride of new experiences. Rob, a black leopard shapeshifter, informed me I was also a shifter. My initial reactions had run the gamut from disbelief to terror to fury, until I met another shifter, Ethan, a large cougar, who was also learning from Rob. In the end, being faced with the irrefutable evidence of seeing them shift in front of me, I had no choice but to agree to my own forced change.

  Turns out I’m a rare cheetah shifter and able to pull energy from the magic that courses through the earth in rivers of power. Since that first transition, my new life has moved forward at an amazing rate until I’ve felt at home with myself in a way I never had as a human.

  We passed yet another glorious view of the sun setting over the forest which spread out west of the mountains in gorgeous shades of gold and pink and purple. Contented, I stretched my arm across Garrett's slim waist as I took in a deep breath of his delicious scent, something I did to combat my nerves, but also as a reminder of how lucky I was.

  Garrett, my sexy vampire, has been the main reason for my unrestrained happiness. Two years before, he’d saved me from a vicious attack by giving me blood to heal my extremely serious injuries. Six weeks ago I’d battled with the painful physical effects of the ley line magic. He’d taught me how to build a shield to protect myself and then how to use the power that the lines offered up. Through that energy, we connected to each other on a primal level, now living in each other's minds and emotions in a wonderfully intimate way, bonded together in love by ritual, but also by magic.

  Kaera’s musical voice broke into my thoughts. “We will be there soon. You must agree to be blinded, Jacqueline.”

  “Do you mean blindfolded?” I asked, sitting up in the seat.

  “No, it is a temporary blinding that only lasts a few minutes. There is no pain.”

  “I’ve had it done, it’s nothing. I’ll be right here holding you.” Garrett tightened his embrace.

  “I can close my eyes. I won’t peek.” I turned quickly toward Garrett and said in a slightly annoyed tone, “Wait a minute. She’s not blinding you?”

  Kaera answered, frowning. “Garrett is an ally of an Elder, Lord Caelen, Liam’s father. Blinding is not necessary in his case.” She spoke with a sharp edge to her voice, seemingly annoyed I didn’t already understand the rules.

  I twisted my mouth. “I’m his mate. His lifemate.”

  “There are no exceptions.” I gave her another appraising look. She was at least three inches taller than my 5’9” with long dark wavy hair and lovely amethyst eyes, which were currently flashing with gold, a sign of strong emotions. Yep, she was pissed. ”You will not be allowed inside unless you consent.”

  I glanced at Liam who nodded his agreement and held up a hand in a calming gesture. “Fine, get it over with.” I shrugged, not happy, but willing to grin and bear it and Liam immediately lost his worried expression. I have a tendency to be stubborn on occasion, but I wanted into Faerie in the worst way. I’d grilled Liam on the subject and his descriptions were so lovely, I couldn’t wait to see all the amazing colors and the magical landscapes and people. My heart was pounding with excited anticipation.

  Kaera reached over and placed a smooth hand on my forehead. Samson growled a warning, but a look from Liam quieted him. I felt a sharp jolt of energy and my vision faded slowly to black. In reaction I drew on the magic and reached out with my mental senses to see if I would be able to see in that way. In my mind, I was on my familiar rugged cliff with waves of ley line power crashing against the rocks below me, a made-up place I went to focus my energy. I attempted to stretch my senses out in sneaky tendrils to discern shapes or shadows in the real world, but it remained dark.

  “It’s only for a few minutes.” Garrett sent to me mentally. “I won’t let go, my lovely cheetah.”

  I smiled and leaned against him once more. “I’m a little nervous about meeting the fae, especially seeing Lord Kennet again.”

  “You will enchant them all.”

  “Exactly what I’m afraid of.” Lord Kennet, the judge at the duels, had actually proposed I leave Garrett and become his consort, even going so far as to suggest I give him an heir. "I really didn’t want to be doing any enchanting in Kennet’s direction.”

  Garrett laughed and hugged me tighter. “Caelen and I will protect you from the pretentious jerk."

  My vision cleared as Liam announced, “We are here, Jacqueline." I glanced at him curiously, when he nodded in the fae manner. “I will not be addressing you as I do in your home. I am the son of a Council Elder and must behave as such.” Liam had pledged his service to Garrett after Garrett had saved his brother, Aedus from some kind of undisclosed danger, so at home he referred to us as Miss Jacqueline and Master Garrett.

  Liam was my height, with delicate, almost feminine features and shoulder length golden hair. However, the power emanating from him was all male and quite seductive as I’d learned in the past. His violet eyes sparkled with excitement and his whole body seemed to relax as the car slowed. I guess he was pleased to be home.

  “Sure, Lord Liam,” I teased. He laughed gently, a musical sound which made us all smile, except for Kaera. I hope the others aren’t so stick-up-your-butt serious. I kept that particular thought to myself, just in case Kaera was listening.

  The car had come to a stop, so Garrett vamp-speeded it over to my side to help me out in his usual gentlemanly way, adding a sweet kiss on the cheek as an extra bonus. Samson hopped out after me with a grunt and a vigorous shake of his head and body. I snatched up his leash and took a look around.

  We were in a narrow valley, the mountains surrounding us cloaked in thick forests. I pictured Garrett and myself hunting together under those trees in our cheetah forms, possibly taking down something large and then feasting on the fresh kill. Standing next to me, he caught a taste of my hunger and squeezed my hand in agreement.

  We stood in a large field without buildings or even a pathway. Instead, tall grasses and fragrant wildflowers spread out for hundreds of yards in every direction. A heavy buzz throbbed in my chest, marking this as a strong hot spot of ley line magic.

  Garrett pulled me in front of him and wrapped his arms around me, pressing his chest into my back. “Watch this,“ he whispered in my ear. I leaned back against him, loving the feel of his warm breath on my neck. Samson obediently sat by my feet as I watched, enthralled.

  Liam and Kaera walked twenty yards into the field and stopped at exactly the same moment, as if there were some unseen barrier blocking their way. They stretched out their arms with their palms facing down and I felt a pure burst of energy flow from their hands into the heart of the earth. An enormous tugging sensation came next as the power rebounded, bringing massive amounts of magical energy up through their bodies and out through their outstretched hands. Their physical forms almost disappeared in a shimmering golden haze, as shafts of magic in dazzling golds and purples and reds exploded outward, bouncing from mountain peak to mountain peak, surging into the heavens. A towering white stone archway appeared in front of the two fae, brilliantly reflecting the colors of Liam and Kaera's magic. As their bodies reformed and became visible to my eyes once more, they turned and motioned for us to follow them through the arch.

  Garrett had to nudge me to get me moving, ‘cause I was pretty much blown away by what they’d done. That amount of power would have burned me to a crisp, but Liam and Kaera seemed unfazed by their efforts. A little shaky, I picked up Samson’s leash and clutched at Garrett’s hand as we followed them into the world of the fae.

  Stalked is available at all the regular vendors. For a list of all Gayle’s books with purchase links, check out her website: https://www.gayleparness.com

 
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