Serenade
Nightmusic
Trilogy Book 1
by
Heather McKenzie
Genre:
YA Romance, Thriller, Suspense
Kidnapped
and held hostage in the Rockies, a teenage heiress falls for her
abductor while her corrupt father and devoted bodyguard fight to get
her back. The discovery of true love and dark family secrets turns
deadly in this epic coming of age adventure.
Kaya
Lowen dreams of living like a normal eighteen-year old, but being
heiress to a billion-dollar company has put her life in constant
danger. Fiercely guarded by her powerful and corrupt father, she
develops close bonds with those who protect her, especially Oliver –
a bodyguard who has proven his devotion to her time and again. He
wins her heart - until a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger
has her questioning everything she believes in. Haunted by true love
and reeling from a guilty conscience, Kaya's world unravels when
she's kidnapped. Held captive in a rugged wilderness fraught with
raging storms, mystical caves and deadly predators, Kaya's father
scours the forest and her bodyguard fights to get her back. But, the
discovery of a dark family secret makes Kaya wonder if staying in the
arms of her blue-eyed abductor—a captivating stranger with dark
secrets of his own – is a safer place to be. At least, that's what
her heart is telling her, her head is saying run...
An
epic adventure centered on a smoldering love-triangle, Serenade sings
a timeless tale of courage, self-discovery, and life-or-death love
that will leave you breathless.
This
was it, now or never.
I
gathered every single ounce of energy I had and steadied my mind to ignore the
pain in my foot and the dizziness in my head. Then, with everything I had, I
turned and bolted toward the dense forest. The darkness instantly enveloped me.
I could see well enough not to run into tree trunks, but branches caught me at
every turn. My head felt as if it was spinning like a top, but I forced my legs
to keep going. I could hear the men’s voices yelling at each other in an
organized manner.
I tripped and found myself on all fours. Get up, girl. There’s nothing wrong with you—get up…
I made it a few
more steps before my head connected with a blue spruce, and then I collapsed in
a pathetic heap. My arms were so wobbly I could barely wipe at the gash across
my forehead. My body was completely failing me. I prayed to God that the dog
would just snap my neck and get it over with quickly…
Human
footsteps approached. I gulped in some air and tried to push myself up, but the
world tipped on its side and I fell with it. Within moments, large hands had my
wrists pinned to the ground. I struggled and fought with everything I had left,
which wasn’t much.
“Stop
fighting,” he said.
His
voice created such confusion inside me. I kicked harder.
“Stop… please,” he begged.
His
body pinned mine to the ground. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.
“Please, Kaya, trust me. I won’t let anyone
hurt you, I promise.” He leaned forward and pressed his sleeve to my bleeding
forehead, dabbing and inspecting it closely while I had no choice but to gaze
up him. How could this beautiful man be a kidnapper? It just didn’t fit.
“It’s
just a scratch; no stitches required,” he said, voice trailing off as his eyes
met mine.
We
stayed like that for a while: me on the ground, him kneeling over me, and our
line of sight only on each other—until an unmistakable sound broke through the
tree tops.
“They’ll find me,” I said softly, wondering if
Oliver was in the helicopter circling over our heads.
He
positioned his arms under my body, and, in one graceful motion, he picked me up
and into his arms. “Just don’t run. Promise me that, please. I’ll keep you
safe. You have my word. Okay?”
He held
me tightly—protectively—waiting eagerly for my reply with turmoil in his blue
eyes. My whole body hurt, and admittedly, I couldn’t have walked another inch.
The wolves or that beast would have got to me long before Oliver would have. I
was at my kidnapper’s mercy, laying helplessly in his arms and falling harder
for him by the second.
“I
promise,” I said.
Heather
McKenzie is the Canadian author of Serenade, book one of The
Nightmusic Trilogy. Also a professional singer/songwriter with five
albums to date, she has been telling stories through music for years
and pulls from her extraordinary experiences as a musician to fuel
her passion for creating Young Adult fiction. A rocker at heart, a
mom of three, an aspiring painter and a lover of animals, she is kept
grounded by her husband at their home in Edmonton.
Listen to a sample
of Heather's songs HERE!
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the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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