The Shifter Chronicles 14
by
Pages: 304
Pages: 302
Pages: 304
Raphael is no ordinary wolf shifter.
Raphael knows he must be possessed by a demon. What else could explain the aggression, the physical, beastly transformations? To protect himself and others, his father locks him away. But when Raphael is nineteen, the demon gains full control and breaks free. Now Raphael is scared and desperate on the streets of El Paso, Texas, convinced he’s cursed. Then a stray cat enters his life and everything changes.
Ahmes is a cat shifter and knows there’s something off about the young shifter he’s encountered. It soon becomes apparent that the young man doesn’t know what he is, and Ahmes is determined to help and care for him. But gaining the trust of not only the fearsome wolf but the scared young man will take all his persistence.
Friendship, and the potential for more, grows between them as they travel to Haven, Montana—a town founded by shifters, for shifters, and home to a specialized counseling center, one that can help Raphael understand and accept who and what he truly is.
If that wasn’t enough, on their trail is the last person either expected—Gregor Whitefield, the commander of the Knights of the Dawn, which is an organization bent on the eradication of shapeshifters. Gregor enjoys the thrill of the hunt, determined to collect the unique blood that is crucial to Arcas’s great plan.
Raphael’s blood.
- 1 To Be Read list
Publisher: Independently Published
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 1
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Ace, Demisexual, Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 18-25
Protagonist 2 Age: 36-45
Tropes: Age Difference, Coming of Age, Coming Home, Coming Out / Closeted, Cultural Differences, Friends to Lovers, Interracial Relationship
Word Count: 65,000
Setting: Montana, USA
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Someone knocked on the window, startling him. Then the driver’s door opened and in climbed an older man with golden-brown skin, short black hair, and striking green eyes. Raphael had never noticed a man’s eyelashes before, and yet his were thick and black like his hair, giving the impression that he wore makeup. The overall structure of his face reminded Raphael of Ancient Egypt and the paintings inside tombs. It was as if one of those long-dead ancient people had risen and was walking around in present times.
As he continued to stare, stunned, the sense of familiarity niggled at the back of his mind. Those eyes. Something about those eyes….
“I’m glad you’re awake,” the man said in a deep, smooth voice.
Raphael swallowed and clenched the blanket, acutely aware of his nakedness. His breathing picked up, and he doubted he’d ever felt so vulnerable in his life.
READ MORE“My name is Ahmes,” the man said, “And I promise not to harm you. I only wish to help.” When Raphael said nothing, he continued. “Please believe me. Trust me just a little?”
Raphael swallowed hard and finally lifted his eyes to meet Ahmes’s gaze. He stared hard and saw compassion staring back at him. Nothing about him was aggressive or creepy. But how could Raphael understand people after being locked up for years with only his father to talk to?
The beast huffed in his head.
Ahmes reached over to the passenger seat and lifted a small stack of folded clothing. He handed them over, and Raphael took them with trembling hands.
“I’m afraid I didn’t know your size, so they might be a bit baggy.” Then he slipped out of the car and closed the door. He leaned back against the vehicle and crossed his arms over his chest. It took Raphael a moment to realize Ahmes had given him privacy to change. With questions whirling in his mind, he rocked the small car slightly as he pulled on the shirt, underwear, pants, and hoodie. He finished tying his shoes and then knocked on the window.
Ahmes returned and sat in the driver’s seat again. He smiled and nodded.
“Not too big.”
“No. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. What can I call you?”
Raphael’s eyes widened. “Oh, geez. Mi dispiace. My name is Raphael.”
Ahmes’s smile grew larger. “A fine name. You have the look of an angel.”
Heat rose to his cheeks and Raphael lowered his gaze. Then it struck him that he was having a conversation with a perfect stranger, inside a car, and the beast was more relaxed than it had ever been before. Raphael sucked in a shocked breath.
“Are you all right?” Ahmes asked.
“I… I don’t know. I think so.” He shook his head. Where was the aggression? Granted, he was thankful for the reprieve but why was the beast so calm in Ahmes’s presence?
“Are you hungry?”
On cue, Raphael’s stomach growled.
Ahmes chuckled. “Let’s go to a drive-thru and get you some food.”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you being so nice to me? How did you find me? Where did you find me?”
Ahmes stared at him with his noble face devoid of expression. “I need you to trust me, Raphael. Just a little. I give you my solemn vow that I mean you no harm. But I know you are in trouble, and I think I can help.”
Raphael hunched into himself and wrapped his arms around his body. “I should go. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.” He said it with such confidence.
Raphael squeezed his eyes shut. “I hurt everyone.”
“Shhh.” A strong hand with long fingers touched his knee.
He flinched and popped his eyes open, ready to bolt. He met Ahmes’s steady gaze once more and compassion still radiated from him. He also didn’t feel an ounce of aggression from the beast. It astonished him.
“Give me an hour, Raphael. One hour to convince you that I can help you. If you don’t like what I have to say, I will drive you wherever you wish to go and leave you there.”
His stomach rumbled again. His beast stayed silent and yet his gut told him that it was listening to Ahmes’s words. Its sudden docile nature was something to chew on and made him look closer at Ahmes.
“Okay.”
COLLAPSEGoing into this read, I was worried that I would be totally lost. In the fourteenth book in this series, I was sure that there would be too much history and too many character introductions in past books to be able to understand the foundations of this book. I am very happy to say that I was wrong. The author did such a perfect job of writing this book in a way that could allow it to be a stand-alone style narrative while also delving into the history and mythology of the Shifters and the Knights of the Dawn who are always after them.
The atmosphere of tension that this war brought into Raphael and Ahmes’s story was entertaining, and the balance the author struck between that facet of the narrative and the more personal LGBTQ-driven romance narratives found on both sides of the story was truly inspiring. The way the author mirrored the coming out process that many LGBTQ people have to undergo and the confusion and even hostility both from family and from themselves with the evolution of Raphael’s story of coming to terms with his wolf spirit was emotional and drove me as a reader forward, eager to watch the emotional evolution of the character as well.
Timeless love against an ageless enemy... who will rise victorious?
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