The Kayne Legacy – Behind Closed Doors

Curse of the #FirstBornCain is Now Available! #paranormal

I’ve gone and done it again! I told you I was going to release the first book of The Kayne Legacy Series on it’s own, separate from the Season of Sun and Sin collection…

And here it is!

The cover is something different than you’re used to seeing from Sassy Vixen Publishing for my books but we wanted to make this series different from the erotic romances and erotica I usually write.

Yes this book has some hot sex scenes but the story as a whole isn’t a romance. This is Cain’s journey to save mankind from destruction at the hands of his brother Malachi. It’s the start of the entire legacy all of the Kayne family must accept or turn their back on forever.

For those of you who have read my vampire inspired poetry book Courtship of the Vampyre, you already know the basic outline of the series and have been introduced to a few of the main characters. There is so much more coming your way! You need to grab this one and immerse yourself in this heartbreaking tale of Cain’s early years.

And here you all thought you knew his story. Think again!

Blurb

In the first book of the Kayne Legacy series, we meet reporter Abigail Matthews after she is awarded the interview of a lifetime. She’d been granted no holds barred access to everyone associated with one of the most powerful foundations in the world, including the current CEO Michael Kayne. Sparks fly between them the moment they meet but nothing compared to the jolt she receives when she comes face to face with Michael’s grandfather—the biblical legend Cain.

In hopes she’d accept her destiny as his grandson’s chosen mate, Cain opens up and shares his heartbreaking tale— everything from the tragic fight with his brother Abel to his journey to find Lilith and make her his wife. Together they were to create a family of immortals sworn to protect the Essence of the Tree of Life from the one hell bent on destroying it.

Excerpt

Thousands of Years Ago, Somewhere in the Middle East

Cain secured the last stone into place and stood back to survey his work. He stretched his legs and rubbed the kink out of his lower back as he circled the altar. He’d spend hours in his gardens and the surrounding forests in search of the perfect pieces for his offering to The Three. Each stone, piece of wood and plant held special meaning to him and as such had to be included.

In addition to the first fruits of his garden, he’d included the largest of the fish he’d caught in his nets that morning as well as six of the freshest eggs from the nests of the waterfowl inhabiting the nearby marsh. He’d asked the animals permission as he’d gathered and thanked them for blessing him with a beautiful bounty to share with the gods.

The serenity he’d enjoyed on his venture came to an abrupt end as his brother made his presence known.

“Those won’t appeal to them you know. They want a blood sacrifice and they’ll accept no less. You should know that by now.”

Cain rolled his eyes and sighed. Why can’t he mind his own affairs and leave me to worship in peace?

“It’s none of your concern, brother. How I present my gifts to Them is no reflection on you or how you choose to worship.”

Abel snorted. “Do you really think your paltry offering will help you win Jezebel’s heart and hand once more? The decision has been made. I’ll make her my mate before the next full moon.”

“I won’t argue with you about this anymore. Father feels you would be the better match for our sister. I have no choice but to accept it and move on. Jezebel has made it clear she’ll not go against the wishes of our parents either. You’ve won, yet again.”

Cain reached for his gathering bag and attempted to walk away rather than continue their fight one more day. Unfortunately, Abel had no intention of leaving.

“I’m not through with you yet. Jezebel has asked to wear a jade pendant during our ceremony. She mentioned you found one large enough for me to carve into the shape she desires.”

Cain glared. “No. It’s part of my offering. I have others for you to choose from to use for her necklace. This one belongs to the Goddess Fate.”

“What does it matter? They’ll not accept your offering whether the stone is included in it or not. Why should it go to waste when I can make better use of it?”

Cain stood his ground. “I’m the elder brother and you’ll show respect to me in front of The Three. I’ll not allow you to treat me this way, not today.”

Abel’s laughter cut Cain deeper than any sharp rock. “What makes today different from any other? You may’ve been born before me, but you mean nothing to our parents. In fact, it would be much easier on all of us if you would never have been born.”

He leaned against a nearby tree and sneered. “Why do you think no one remembered today would be special to you? If they cared at all, we would have dedicated the entire day to celebrate the moment you were born. Instead, our family chose to forget and live their lives as if you never existed.”

Cain’s stomach clenched. “Leave me, before we both say and do things we’ll regret later.”

“You have something I want and I’ll not leave until I have it. You can give it to me freely or I’ll take it from you like I’ve taken everything you’ve held dear. Good thing father came to his senses. I’d hate to see what kind of life you would be able to provide for our beautiful sister.”

“I would’ve cared for her and our children until the day I died. They would’ve wanted for nothing.”

Abel doubled over with laughter that echoed throughout the forest. “With you they would have nothing. Why on earth would she ever want to marry a man the gods themselves have ignored?”

“You interrupted me before I finished my preparations. My offering isn’t complete—”

“Oh, so now you must give your heartfelt plea for Them to accept your shortcomings as one of Their creations? You insult the gods and bring shame to our family.”

“Shame? I’ve done nothing to you to warrant your insolent behavior toward me. Leave me if you’re so shamed by my mere existence.”

“Not until I have that jade.”

As Abel took another step toward him, Cain snatched the gemstone from the altar and stuffed it into his gathering bag. “You’re still welcome to any of the other stones I’ve gathered but this one is spoken for and not to be touched.”

Abel grabbed the bag and yanked. “Give it to me now!”

Cain leaned back with all of his weight and held fast. The handle of the bag slid out of Abel’s grasp and burned his palms.

“You would mark me so before my wedding?” He stared at his bloodied hands in disbelief.

“You brought this upon yourself. If you would’ve left me alone as I’d asked, this wouldn’t have happened. When will you learn you can’t force people to bend to your will? Your cruelty will catch up to you in time and your life will be as black as your heart.”

Abel didn’t appear to hear one word Cain had said. “When father sees what you’ve done to me—“

“Go ahead. Make up another wild tale about how I’ve mistreated you. What does it matter now? As you’ve pointed out, you have everything that had been promised to me. All I ask now is to be left alone.” Once again Cain attempted to walk away.

Abel latched onto both of Cain’s upper arms and dug his fingers into the skin and muscle. “You’re not going anywhere until you pay for this.”

Cain narrowed his eyes. His body temperature rose and his cheeks burned. No more of this. I’ve had it with his antics. He planted both palms against Abel’s chest and pushed with all his strength. “Leave. Me. Alone!”

Abel’s eyes flew open and he appeared stunned by Cain’s sudden outburst. He frantically swung his arms around in an attempt to regain his balance, but to no avail. He toppled backward and crashed into the wood and stone altar.

An unmistakable pop sounded as his head connected with the corner stone. Blood pooled and then covered the surface.

Cain rushed to his brother’s now still body and lifted him into his arms. The back of Abel’s head gave way at his touch. His life force continued to flow from the gash and covered Cain’s hands and chest as rocked back and forth. “What have I done? Abel! Wake up. Please, wake up.”

Abel’s eyes glazed over as his spirit left his body.

Cain stood and ran through the forest to Abel’s altar. He placed his brother’s body on the center and then raised his bloodied hands to heaven. “Please. I beg of you. Bring him back. Take me instead.”

Screams and wails erupted behind him and brought him out of his own grief. He spun around to find his mother, sisters and brother Malachi with their eyes wide with shock. Eve dropped to the ground in a heap at the base of the altar. “My son! My beautiful boy!”

Malachi stepped forward, removed Abel’s lifeless body for the stone slab and placed it on the ground. “What have you done, brother? How could you do this?”

Cain shook his head. “He fell against my altar—“

“You mean you killed him upon your altar!”

“No…”

“You wanted him gone so you could have Jezebel’s hand again.”

“No!” Why will he not believe me?

Cain knelt beside Eve. “Mother? Please hear me.”

She turned from him and ignored his plea. She raised her hands to the sky. “Why have you allowed this to happen to your favored son? His innocent blood cries out for justice…”

The women cried louder as their mother collapsed over Abel’s body and became inconsolable.

Cain’s other brothers arrived and shouted at him. They, too, demanded he be brought to justice. Malachi’s voice rang out over all the others. As they circled him, intending to do him harm, the sky rumbled and then exploded with flashes of lightening.

There in front of them stood Lucius in his black flowing robes. His amber colored eyes blazed with the intensity of the sun. He lifted his staff and shield to protect Cain. “Step away from your brother. No one is to lay another hand on him.”

“But he killed Abel. Surely you’ve heard our mother’s cries for justice. Let us punish him for this heinous crime against our family and The Three.”

Lucius raised one dark eyebrow and he clenched his jaw. “Not one of you here are without sin. Why would We allow any of you to speak for Us?

Malachi stepped forward. He alone appeared unafraid of the god. “He took Abel’s life in anger.”

“And how do you know this?” Lucius tilted his head and waited for an answer.

“He said as much when we found him here with Abel’s body.”

“Really? That’s not what We saw take place. Do not dare to speak of something you didn’t witness with your own eyes. Abel is as much to blame as Cain—if not more.”

Eve shrieked. “Abel! Abel! Bring back my son.”

Lucius turned toward the copse of trees behind the altar. “Adam, stop hiding and remove your mate from my presence. It’s time you grieve for your sons together for you are also at fault here for allowing this behavior to continue. Go now. Prepare him for burial. The rest of you will stay.”

“Why do you punish them? They’ve done nothing to deserve this.” Malachi appeared to shake in anger.

“That’s right. They’ve done nothing to stop Abel from putting himself before all of you and your needs. Their inability to rein him in and teach him humility led to this sad day.”

“Then they’ve paid the ultimate price with the loss of his life. Now Cain should have to do the same.” Malachi lunged but was met in midair by a protective force field and his body slammed to the ground.

“Once again your true self emerges, Malachi. You’re no different than Abel with your defiance. Do not test my patience any further or you’ll pay the consequences. Fate won’t intervene on your behalf. My decision here today will be final. Yeshua has granted me full authority to do as I see fit.”

Seth helped Malachi to his feet and then turned toward the god with his head lowered in deference. “Please, Lucius. Tell us why you’ve allowed this to happen? Abel was the best of us. Now we are lost.”

Jezebel fell to her knees before Cain and clutched at his chest. “If you’ve ever loved me, kill me now so I may join my betrothed.”

Cain’s heart shattered. Even Jezebel believes I did this on purpose. “I could never do what you ask of me.”

Jezebel collapsed against his chest and sobbed.

Cain tried to hold her but Malachi ripped her from his arms. “You can’t harm her but you could smash Abel’s head against the corner of your altar?”

“I didn’t do it.”

“You lie! Go ahead and compound your crime before the gods. You’ll not get away with this.”

Lightening flashed across the sky and the earth shook. “You will say no more, Malachi. The decision has already been made.”

“If it doesn’t include wiping Cain off the face of the earth, then I’ll not listen to another word from you.”

Cain closed his eyes and braced himself for what he was sure would be the last time he would hear Malachi’s voice ever again.

BUY LINKS (updates to follow when each goes live)

Barnes and Noble…coming soon

iTunes

Oyster

I hope you enjoy the book! Let me know what you think of it and if you like where this series is headed. Don’t know yet? Grab the poetry book as a companion to the series. It will be your guide to all things Cain, Lilith and their descendants.

~Tammy

@dochappycamper joins #ScintillatingSunday with Curse of the First Born Cain #Erotica

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors! This week I’m participating in Scintillating Sunday Showcase. It’s a weekly blog hop hosted by my friends at Mile High Muses. By definition, “scintillating” means brilliantly lively, stimulating, or witty. It also means interesting. So this hop can and does showcase a variety of heat levels to appeal to everyone. I’m excited to be a part of it!

This week, I’d like to share a part of a scene from the beginning of Curse of the First Born Cain (Kayne Legacy 1). To set this up, Abigail and Michael had been talking about his family and their connection to each other when his grandfather came in. Adam Kayne is in fact the biblical Cain. The shock of meeting him face to face caused Abigail to faint. After she recovers, she has many questions for the Kayne family patriarch. Adam doesn’t make it easy for her with his jokes about immortality.

“Grandpa!” Michael was mortified by Adam’s continued teasing. I wish he wouldn’t treat this so lightly. When will he learn not everyone can handle our family secrets? He put his hand over hers and experienced the electrical shock again.

Adam raised one eyebrow and pointed his finger in their direction. “Don’t either one of you try to tell me you didn’t feel that spark between you. I can feel the energy over here and I’m not touching you. What you’re experiencing is the formation of your bond. The two of you are fated to be together. We knew you were special the moment you were born but had no idea you were one of The Chosen.”

“Chosen? Chosen to do what exactly and who’s we?” She laced her fingers through Michael’s and gripped his hand as if she held on for dear life.

“Chosen to be one of the Guardians of the Essence of the Tree of Life. You see, that’s the reason I’m here in front of you. I was the very first Guardian. Through my veins courses blood made immortal because The Three decided the Tree of Life needed to be protected from those unworthy until the time they earned the birthright once again. Lilith and I have kept tabs on you as you’ve grown into the remarkable creature sitting across from me today. We had to be sure you were safe and your Fae ancestry kept under wraps until you were ready to accept your destiny as one of the protectors of the Essence.”

“I don’t understand. There are both protectors and Guardians for the Essence?”

Adam nodded. “We’ll get to all those pesky details in due time. Why don’t we start with the question that’s on the tip of your tongue now?”

“How can someone who killed their brother in cold blood be worthy of this blessing?”

He uncrossed his legs, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on his knees. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Want to read more? You can! For a limited time, the first book of the Kayne series is a part of the anthology Season of Sun and Sin. It’s available on all outlets and will be out in print soon.

Don’t forget to check out the other participants of this week’s hop! You’ll find some fabulous reads from all of them.

Click here to view this Linky Tools list for Scintillating Sundays Showcase Participants

Debuting The Final Version of The Courtship of the Vampyre #Trailer #erotica #poetry #vampires

I’ve finished the final version (hopefully) of the video trailer for The Courtship of the Vampyre. As I created it with the Windows Live Movie Maker, the entire vision of the series hit me like a ton of bricks. There is so much information that I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it written down fast enough, but I’ll give it the ole college try! LOL

Back to the video…while I watched it for the “gazillionth” time I realized it’s one of the videos that tell the story of the series. It shows the underlying tragedy that ripped apart a family forever. That’s the heart of the entire series really. One brother is given the blessing that another brother feels should be rightfully his and demands to have it too. Well, when you mess with The Three (Yeshua, Lady Fate, and Lucius) and question their reasoning behind what they do, you end up with the short end of the stick. Just sayin’!

So when you’re the one receiving the short end and you have to live an eternity being reminded of it every single waking moment of every day, you tend to get bitter and turn to your dark side. Everybody has one, but some of us tend to embrace it a bit more fully than the rest of us. That would be Malachi, the seventh son of Adam. Even as bad as he is, he ends up finding a partner that can go toe to toe with him. She cropped up while I was looking at the photos to use for the video I released today. I don’t know her name yet, she’s a bit shy around me at the moment but I hope to get her to tell her tale soon…real soon. It’s looking like Malachi and this dark beauty will be the focus of Kayne Legacy 3.

Okay okay! I’ll stop talking in riddles and show you the video. As always, let me know what you think of it and the story. The text in the main body of the video is one of the poems that’s included in the book. It’s one that told Cain’s story in an abbreviated form, but one that served it’s purpose nonetheless.

Enjoy!

Coming Soon From Behind Closed Doors And @dochappycamper

Hello all!

I just finished finalizing my plans to attend RomCon 2013. Now registration, hotel and flights are secured. Whew! Flying these days is getting to be expensive but in this case I’m happy to part with the money. There is no way in hell my husband and I will drive from California to Colorado. I can handle the drive to Vegas, but longer than that I’m just not thrilled about. LOL This will be the very first romance convention for me and I can’t wait! To be able to meet up with authors I’ve only been able to chat with online up until this point is so exciting and all of us get to hang out with fellow readers…to say I bouncing in my seat with excitement would be an understatement.

I’ve ordered books to sign and sell at the author signing days, swag to give out in gift baskets from Four Seduced Muses and Sassy Vixen Publishing, business cards, trading cards and all sorts of fun stuff to share. It’s going to be a lot of fun and to have my hubby there with me makes it all extra special. He’s supported me through all my publishing endeavors and is the Chief Operating Officer of Sassy Vixen Publishing LLC, so of course he’ll be there with me. Truthfully, he’s a bit of the possessive type and will be giving anyone the evil eye if he thinks they’re trying to hit on me. Bwahahaha! Gotta love the man!

The new features I’ve started on all the blogs along with the new banners have been a big hit! My alter ego Lia Michaels is having a blast at The House of Taboo with the “special guests” surprising the authors who stop in for the features. That whole thing’s taking on a life of it’s own and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now if I can just get her to finish Call of the Thunderbird so we can get it edited for publishing…

Sassy Vixen Publishing is moving forward with a few additional projects including Lia’s work, Stephanie’s first novel The Do Over and two more books of poetry. Keep checking here and on the Sassy Vixen pages to get more information.

I’ve got the Behind Closed Doors Street Team page ready here and on Facebook. I’m looking for some folks to join me in promoting my work and overall celebrating with me when I do have new releases. Click on the button on the right side of this blog to take you to the street team information page to see what being on the team would entail. If you’re interested in being a member, leave a comment with your contact information and I’ll add you to the list on the Facebook group page too.

I’m currently working on the video trailer for The Kayne Legacy Series. Of course it will include the hot models on the cover for The Courtship of the Vampyre and the models who’ve inspired the characters in The First Borne and the rest of the series. I’m shooting for releasing the video this weekend if all goes according to plan. What that means is if my computer and Windows Movie Maker cooperate with each other. LOL!

For more information and a sneak peek at the first two chapters and an adult excerpt, click on The Kayne Legacy tab in the menu at the top of the page.

Monday, fellow author Jess Buffett kicks off her book tour here with me at Behind Closed Doors and ends it at Sassy Vixen on May 11th. Author DX Luc just signed up to do a feature here on Friday May 3rd for Fantasy Free For All. I’ve decided to use the same Friday feature as we have on Through Stephanie’s Eyes for continuity. So many changes and so much fun coming up over the next two months!

Until next time

~Tammy

#poetry #erotica Scavenger Hunt to Find A Signed Copy of The Courtship of the Vampyre

I’m having a great time today at Coffee Time and More’s Latte Lounge with several authors from teh Vampire Book Realm. Today is our eloop chat and we’ve got about five or six more hours to go before it’s all over. Several authors have giveaways and have been sharing bits and pieces from their latest releases or works in progress. Today I shared The Courtship of the Vampyre and the basic story line for The Kayne Legacy series. As you can see above, I’ve started a new tab in the menu for the new series and I even have two hidden pages with excerpts. I’ll include the links here for those of you who wish to check them out. Please leave a comment on them to let me know what you think of them so far.

First Two Chapters of The First Borne

Adult Excerpt from The First Borne

Now for another surprise…

A SCAVENGER HUNT!!!

Here’s the list of items for my scavenger hunt. You can find all the answers to these questions from the pages on my website Behind Closed Doors. Through here, you can get the links to any of the other blogs I own or am part of to help answer the questions and earn you a signed copy of The Courtship of the Vampyre.

What celebrity do I have a major girl crush on?

What is my nickname on Four Seduced Muses?

What are the names of my other alter egos/pen names?

Who is the seventh son of Adam?

Who cursed the seventh son after he interfered with Cain’s blessing?

Who is the actor who inspired the one who cursed the seventh son? Hint: He inspired the same character in my Now and Forever series.

Who is the driving force and muse for all of my poetry and my writing in general?

Bonus Question in case of a tie:

What is my “evil day job?”

Send your answers to me at tammydenningsmaggyauthor@gmail.com

I’ll pick a winner tomorrow night.

Good luck and have fun!

~Tammy

Thrilled Beyond Belief! The Courtship of the Vampyre Is Running Up Amazon Rankings!

I am shocked. Literally shocked. I was working on a blog post for Sassy Vixen Publishing and getting a link for one of my guest authors when I decided to check on my books to be sure that all of them made it to my Amazon Author Page. For some reason two of the formats weren’t there last week. I rectified it as soon as I found that mistake and was determined to be sure that it didn’t happen this time with the second book of poetry…and my second self-published book.

What caught my eye right away was my sales ranking at below 130,000. I’ve NEVER been that low for any of my books and sure as heck not on the day it went live on Amazon. My eyes then went a little further to see at that moment in time, The Courtship of the Vampyre was ranked at #20 for epic poetry.

Number TWENTY!!!

Thank you all for supporting me in this and spreading the word. Without you, I would never move up the ranks this quickly. This has just solidified my decision to concentrate on The Kayne Legacy full time once I finish up The Surrender of Julia and get that off to Siren for consideration.

I’m still waiting for Smashwords to finish their review of the book to see if it’s included in the Premium Catalog. Once it’s there, you’ll be able to find it not only on Smashwords, but with Apple, Sony, Barnes and Noble and many other retail outlets. It’s available in print from Createspace AND Amazon as of today too.

Smile on my friends!

~Tammy

#Poetry From Soon To Be Released Courtship of the Vampyre

I’ve been working away at finishing the collection of poetry that will be included in this book and thought I would share another selection with you. This one gives you more of an insight into the world of the the different classes of vampires that will be brought to life in my new series The Kayne Legacy. I’ve talked about it before and even shared some excerpts from one of the books entitled The First Born. I’m really excited about both my poetry and erotic romances coming together again.

The first time I did this was with my Now and Forever series. It wasn’t intentional at the time, but the poems that flew out of me during the two years I was writing For the Love of Quinn and outlining the rest of the series just seemed to mess well with the story lines. I’ve even got another series out of it too. The Songs of Fate will feature The Vixen, the Witch, and the Daemon as the first book in the series introducing the characters of that world. That series I’ve decided to write as Lia Michaels since the characters have lent themselves nicely into menage relationships.

Well, enough of the background stuff. Here’s today’s featured poem. Let me know what you think of it.

Brightest Blessings and Merry Yule!

~Tammy

The Chosen

A member of the Vampire Elite
Has chosen her mate on this very day.
They’d been paired long before
They would ever meet.
This was the way it has always been
Between Vampyre and Fae.

From the moment Lilith wed the First Born Cain,
The destiny of all their descendants was secured.
For through this bloodline the Chosen would reign
And the essence of the Tree of Life would endure.

Others walk the night without the Blessing of The Three.
To rip and tear out the life of another
Is for them a means to an end.
They care not for the lives of humans
Whose blood gives them their Immortality.
It’s the Chosen Ones who watch over all
And among mortals they must blend

While most Vampires must avoid the light of the Sun,
Those descended from Cain and Lilith do not.
The Chosen have never had to fear the dawn.
The others must conceal themselves from the Light
In order to avoid the fate of the wife of Lot.

The Essence of the Tree of Life
Must be protected at all costs.
The Gift cannot be shared with another
Unless they are also descendants
Of the Royal Immortal Fae.
If taken by force by one outside of this bloodline
Part of the essence will be forever lost.
So this is why not every Immortal can be of the Chosen
Because the loss of the essence of the Tree
Is too great a price to pay.

Still there are those mortals who will never understand
Nor will they ever believe
That the First Born of Adam could be charged
With such a monumental task,
And that they Fae are more
Than just magical creatures designed to deceive.
One day soon all will become crystal clear
When the Tree of Life returns
To the Garden of Eden at long last.

Cursed of the First Born…new poetry

I’ve been working on a collection of vampire inspired poetry so I decided to write one to act as a teaser for one of my other works in progress, The Kayne Legacy. The poem here today helps to tell the tale of how Cain came to be known as the Guardian in my series. He is chosen by The Three (Yeshua, Fate, and Lucius) to protect the Essense of the Tree of Life. Since Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden it was left hidden from all humanity. Now as a chance to atone for accidentally causing the death of his brother Abel, Cain is given the opportunity to turn tragedy into triumph.

I have an entire series planned for the Kayne Family. They are a group of immortals and other paranormal beings. The first born of each generation is given the choice to be a Guardian of the Tree or to live a “normal” mortal life. Some members of the family are powerful witches and warlocks and others are at least part fairy. From the beginning, Lilith and Cain’s offspring were to be wed to their soul mates in the fae realm. Because of these matches, the Kayne Family are powerful and involved in every aspect of life on Earth. They take their duty to protect the Tree of Life very seriously and part of that is to help mortals survive.

Curse of the First Born

Once destined for greatness and riches
Beyond your wildest dreams,
Now lost and alone,
Your family torn apart at the seams.
The spilled blood of your brother cries out for justice
Because in a rage, you struck out
Wishing only for his taunts to end.
Now you await your punishment
With hands covered in his blood and dust.
The Gods should be angry.
For even this unintentional loss of life will offend.

Vengeance is Ours and Ours alone.
You played a role in your brother’s death,
This much is true.
There is only one way for you to atone.
It’s not your death We seek,
But service that can only be assigned
To a chosen few.

Forever your life you must pledge
Even though you feel you are unworthy.
Upon your brow a mark will be made.
No one will dare harm one chosen by The Three.
For with this Curse your debt will be paid.

Within your blood now lies
The Essence of the Tree of Life.
No mere mortal can be trusted
With such a task.
Leave this place and your family
In search of Lilith to be your wife.
Together you will create a clan who will walk the Night,
Whose influence and power will grow to be vast.

The choice will be yours and yours alone
To continue to shield yourself from the Sun.
Once you take this path
You cannot go back into the Light.
For the very Essence of Immortal Life itself
Will course within your veins,
And you will be marked as our Chosen One.
But only through the First Born of every generation
Shall the Essence pass unspoiled as is their birthright.

Some will call you cursed and cringe
Whenever they hear your name.
But they know not the ways of The Three.
You are chosen on this day
To guard the Secrets of the immortal soul.
You are no longer First Born of Adam and Eve,
But now the Guardian forever known as Cain.

Valentine’s Day Blog Hop…Day One

Hello everyone! Welcome to Behind Closed Doors and the first day of the With Love Valentine’s Day Blog Hop! I am one of over 200 authors participating over the next four days. Each day you have a chance to leave a comment for an entry in my contest and others in the hop. Each author is giving a way a prize so make sure you comment each day and click on the graphic above to take you to the main hop page to find more authors to visit!

I will be giving away a print copy of my book of poetry Follow Me: Poetry from the Heart and Soul as well as a hand crafted piece of jewelry made by my best friend Deadra Wagner.

It is a heart with with wings pendant that will look similar to the one pictured.

For my posts, I’ve decided to share a preview of one of my works in progress. It is part of my series The Kayne Legacy. The first book in that series will be called The First Borne. I hope you enjoy it and keep coming back each day of the hop to find out more.

Abigail Matthews stood in front of the full length mirror in the third outfit she’d tried on that morning. Nothing looked right to her critical eye. The first blouse was cut too low. The last skirt was too short. The gray dress made her look like an elderly school teacher instead of the sexy forty year old reporter for Time Magazine. “Fuck it.” She unzipped the dress and let it fall to the floor without another thought. She went right to her favorite ensemble and instantly felt at ease again. The deep wine colored tailored blouse clung to her breasts enough to be classy, but not trashy, and was the perfect contrast to the soft black dress pants and leopard print pumps she quickly slipped into. “Perfect.” A quick glance at her watch made her smile. She still had a few minutes before the limo was due to pick her up to take her to the interview that could ultimately make or break her career.

No one, least of all Abigail, expected that she would land the most sought after interview in the world. She was thrilled when she heard her magazine had won the interview, but was shocked to learn that it would not happen unless she was the one to do it. The Kayne Foundation had been very specific in their response. It was either Abigail or no interview. Of course there was the friendly and not so friendly ribbing by the other reporters and questions about who she slept with to get such a request. She didn’t care. She was finally going to meet the CEO of the largest investment group in the world. There was not a country on the planet that didn’t have at least one of their hospitals offering top of the line medical care for those in need. They funded research projects that ranged from finding new treatments and cures for various cancers as well the pipeline used to transport the oil from Alaska down to the lower forty-eight and all over the world. The same materials were used for piping water into to more arid regions of the world enabling crops to grow for the first time in several decades.

Before heading up his family’s foundation, Michael Kayne was famous in his own right as a specialist in the fields of infectious disease and blood borne illnesses. His work in formulating the vaccine against AIDS earned him the Nobel Prize. Abigail was fascinated by him and the entire Kayne family and couldn’t wait to ask all about them. Just Michael’s immediate family members alone could fill the pages of several magazines with their accomplishments, but there was one question that she hoped she would get answered today.

Why me? She remembered the day when she found out that all of her schooling was funded by the Kayne Foundation. Every single grant and scholarship was provided by them including a monthly stipend for her living expenses while she attended school. Sure she had fantastic grades and test scores, but she never remembered applying for anything from the Kayne Foundation. She had asked her adoptive parents if they knew why, but they knew even less than she did.

A knock on her door brought her back to the present. She looked out the window and caught a glimpse of the black limo in her driveway as well as another round of butterflies in her stomach. “I’ll be right there.” She grabbed her computer bag and purse and moved swiftly to her door and her destiny.

* * * *

“Dr. Kayne? Ms. Matthews has just arrived. Shall I send her in now?”

Michael smiled. He had never been one to look forward to being interviewed, and shied away from publicity whenever possible, preferring his lab and field work over answering probing questions. But this time, he felt like a little kid on Christmas. As soon as his grandfather gave him her file, Michael wanted to know more about Abigail Matthews. Now was his chance. “Thank you, Mary. Send her in and please make sure we aren’t disturbed.”

The heavy doors to his office slowly swung open. Michael’s breath caught in his throat. The woman walking through the doors was so much more than he expected. Her curly strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a large clip, letting loose tendrils fall down her neck. Her ice blue eyes reflected the lights in his office giving them an extra sparkle. His heart pounded and he fought the urge to rush toward her and take her in his arms and kiss her. What the hell is the matter with me?

She walked up to him and extended her hand. “Dr. Kayne, thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me today.” Abigail tilted her head to the side and smiled. “Did I catch you at a bad time? You look a little pale.”

Michael chuckled. “Not at all, Ms. Matthews. I’ve been looking forward to your visit for some time now.” He took her hand and immediately felt a jolt throughout his entire body. Her grip tightened and she pulled in her lower lip. Did she feel it too? “Why don’t we set up over near the window? The chairs are quite comfortable and there is an outlet for your laptop. I’m sure you have a lot of material you wish to cover today.”

Abigail smiled again. “That I do, Dr. Kayne.”

“Dr. Kayne is so formal. Since you are about to learn everything you wish to know about me and The Kayne Foundation, I would feel a bit more comfortable if you’d call me Michael. Would you prefer Abigail or Abby”

She eased herself into the dark green leather over-stuffed chair opposite his, tucking one of her legs underneath her. “Abby is fine, although no one has called me that since I was a freshman at Michigan State.”

Michael wished he chose the couch to sit on so he could be closer to her. Her scent was making him a bit punch drunk. His mind kept wandering to what it would feel like to hold her close, dancing in the moonlight on a beach somewhere exotic. The sound of her voice made his stomach flutter. He had never had these kinds of reactions around any woman let alone someone he had just met. “Abby it is. Where do you want to start?” Abigail tilted her head to the side and Michael fought the urge to bite his lower lip. Lord, this woman is killing me!

“What the hell happened when you shook my hand? For a moment there, I thought my knees were going to buckle.”

“Ah. You felt it too.” She nodded and her eyes were open wide, pulling him in deeper and deeper. There was no getting around it. He was going to have to tell her everything. Hopefully she would believe him. Her future, their future depended on it.

* * * *

“You came here today hoping to find out your connection to my family, right?”

Abigail swallowed hard. “Yes. Is there one? Why was I singled out?”

“Can’t you feel it?” Michael sat back in his chair and held her gaze. “When you walked into the room, the moment we met, you felt at home.”

Abigail’s eyes widened a bit more. “How could you know that?”

“Apparently, we are meant to be together.”

She laughed. “What? We’re destined to be together as a couple?” She shook her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why me and why now?”

“I am the first borne of my parents’ brood. On my fortieth birthday, I have to make a choice– accept the family legacy, or continue on as I am. For the legacy to continue on through me, I have to marry a fae.”

“A fae, as in a fairy? All of the dreams she’s had lately, could this be what they were trying to tell her? “But I’m not—“

“Yes, you are. You are and have always been fae. Now at forty years old, you too have to decide. Join our families or go without your powers that are currently lying dormant.

Abigail’s mind reeled. “I don’t have any special powers. I’m just me.”

“Really? Have you had dreams that ended up coming true? Have you touched someone and could hear their thoughts?”

She flushed from her head to her toes. “I’ve always had little bits of that over the years, but the last three years it has been getting stronger and stronger, especially the last couple of months.”

“And you’ve dreamed of me?” Michael’s gray eyes appeared to sparkle. At first Abigail attributed it to the overhead lights, but there weren’t any in that area of his office. Her spine tingled. “How?”

“I’ve dreamed of you every night for the last year. It wasn’t until my grandmother showed me your picture did I put two and two together.”

“You believe in all of this fairy tale stuff?”

Michael nodded. “So do you, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“I’m doing a story on your family, Michael. Nothing more.”

“Oh really? So you’re not interested in finding out if the legend is true?”

The jolt flew up Abigail’s spine once again. She realized there was no hiding anything from him, and she didn’t want to. She felt safe with him. “Is it real? Are you all descendants of the biblical Cain?”

“I’ll do you one better. How would you like to meet him?”

“Stop! You can’t be serious. Cain is alive, in the 21^st century?”

“He is and right behind you.”

Abigail slowly turned around and looked into another set of steely gray eyes. The middle aged man before her smiled, Michael’s smile, and held her hands in both of his callused ones. “Abigail? Meet my grandfather, Adam Kayne, or as you may know him Cain, the First Borne.”

* * * *

Make sure you stop back in tomorrow for the next installment and please leave a comment each day for chances to win!

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