The Legends of Regia:
Forbidden Forest
Tenaya Jayne
Born in shame. Cast from society. Shape
Shifter/Elf hybrid, Forest must fight for any respect she can get. Targeted in
her youth by a vampire noble who placed an illegal slave mark on her, she is
forced to obey him, no matter what. Slipping
the grip of her master and abandoning the prejudice of Regia, her native world,
Forest takes a job on Earth, guarding the portal, using her skills as a warrior
to enforce Regia's laws. Now, called home for a black ops mission, Forest must put
aside her own prejudice to transport the vampire prince, Syrus, through enemy
territory in a time of war.
Prince
Syrus, mage and master of the Blood Kata, wants Forest more than he's ever
wanted anything. In spite of their mutual mistrust, their attraction cannot be
denied. Through the danger of their mission, and the secrets they both keep, it
doesn't matter what they feel. Forest is forbidden.
~ ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~
Hello. My name's
Tenaya and I'm an addict. I mean author. When I was growing up, writing was
just something I played at from time to time. I knew I wanted to be a writer,
but I was one of those people who could never finish anything. When my eldest
son was diagnosed with Autism, I began to write seriously. Writing became a
necessity for me in the midst of my heartbreak. It was either that or take up
drinking. I 'm thankful I chose writing as my escape because I discovered it
truly is my thing. I want to be swept away when I read. That's what I want my
books to do for you.The main goal of my writing is to entertain you. I want to
help you escape everyday life for a little while. I hope you enjoy my stories
as much as I enjoy sharing them with you!
I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful sons. I'm an advocate for Autism
awareness, and women trapped in abusive relationships. I try to always look on
the bright side and help others do so too. I've lived many places but I
currently reside in Missouri. I love reading, indie and foreign films,
gardening, and moody music.
~ EXCERPT ~
Forest pressed her back against the cool concrete wall,
wanting to remain aloof from the entity of the crowd. She chose her position in
the shadows, out of the paths of the roving, multi-colored spotlights. She
closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the undulating human pheromones
flying around on the air. At the beginning of every shift, she allowed herself
a few minutes of this alien/human experience, though she didn't fully
comprehend the combination of dancing, drinking, and ear-breaking sound waves.
They loved it, however, and never seemed to deviate from the recipe.
These were the people
she was sworn to protect. She had developed a light affection for the human
race and considered them a benign, if not slightly silly, bunch of creatures.
Her religious passion for her job was rooted in hatred of that which harmed the
humans, not a superhero tendency to protect the weak.
Forest opened her eyes and focused all her senses to sniff
out the illegal suckers that tried to sneak through the portal. She was in the
zone tonight, and not for the first time did she feel that hers was the best
job in existence. It was a shame she couldn’t legally kill suckers in her
native world.
Over the next two
hours, Forest didn’t move from the wall. She monitored the light traffic
through the portal: two shifters and one elf, each of which nodded to her
respectfully as they passed. Yawn. The shifters left the club to enjoy the
delights of Austin’s nightlife elsewhere.
The elf would have been breaking Regia’s law had he left the
club, but he dutifully seated himself at the bar and ordered a fuzzy navel. He
wore a plaid, porkpie hat, pulled down over the tops of his pointed ears.
Forest didn’t know him personally, but she had seen him in here before. The
bartender surveyed him with narrowed eyes as the elf nervously tugged his hat
down further and ordered a few more girly cocktails.
Intent on making sure that not one sucker was able to sneak
past her, Forest was blindsided by the drunk bubba who had been trying to catch
her eye for the last twenty minutes. He had finally decided to stagger over to
hit on her.
“Hey babe, you’re too beautiful to look so lonely. How’s
‘bout I buy you a drink?”
“How’s ‘bout I call you a cab instead?” Forest mimicked his
drawl.
“Only if you share it with me, Darlin.” He leaned in closer,
and Forest’s throat began to sting from the noxious fume of booze mixed with
his natural musk.
“While I appreciate the offer, Jethro, It seems only right
to inform you that I’m not actually attractive at all. If you leaned in a
little closer, you’d see that you’ve fallen victim to the effect of beer
goggles. A hag like me can’t take advantage of a stud like you.”
As he leaned in, Forest instantly enlarged her nose,
pockmarked her skin, evaporated her front teeth, and added a large black mole
with a long hair sprouting from it for good measure.
“You’re no hag, baby!
You’re the sexiest little thing in…I…uh… ” He stumbled backward. “Good grief!
Sorry, sorry…” he stammered, retreating. “I’ve gotta quit drinking,” he mumbled
as he turned away.
Forest chuckled to herself once he absorbed back into the
crowd. Being a shape shifter sometimes had unusual perks.
