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Jacob (Nightwalkers Series #1)by Jacquelyn Frank
For 700 Years, He Has Resisted Temptation.
But Not Tonight. . .
Jacob knows the/b>
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Since time began, there have been Nightwalkers--the races of the night who live in the shadows of the moonlight. Love with humans is absolutely forbidden, and one man makes certain to uphold this ancient law: Jacob, the Enforcer. . .
For 700 Years, He Has Resisted Temptation.
But Not Tonight. . .
Jacob knows the excuses his people give when the madness overtakes them and they fall prey to their lust for humans. He's heard every one and still brought the trespassers to justice. Immune to forbidden desires, uncontrollable hungers, or the curse of the moon, his control is total. . .until the moment he sees Isabella on a shadowy New York City street. Saving her life wasn't in his plans. Nor were the overwhelming feelings she arouses in him. But the moment he holds her in his arms and feels the soft explosion of her body against his, everything changes. Their attraction is undeniable, volatile, and completely against the law. Suddenly everything Jacob has ever believed is inflamed by the heat of desire. . .
Bring on the night.
"Jacqui Frank's Nightwalker series depicts an engrossing alternate world, drawn in prose that is lush and lyrical."
--Linda Howard
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
- 9781420121964
- Publisher:
- Kensington
- Publication date:
- 12/01/2006
- Series:
- Nightwalkers Series , #1
- Sold by:
- Penguin Random House Publisher Services
- Format:
- NOOK Book
- Pages:
- 384
- Sales rank:
- 43,709
- File size:
Read an Excerpt
THE NIGHTWALKERS Jacob
By Jacquelyn Frank
Kensington Publishing Corp.Copyright © 2006 Jacquelyn Frank
All right reserved.
Chapter OneHow ridiculously simple it would be to cause them harm.
From far above, he watched with unwavering dark eyes as they walked down the shadowy street. The human male was so absorbed in his flirtation with his female, he would have no chance of protecting her from harm should they be surprised by a threat. What if he were to drop onto them from his current height?
Although in that instance, "surprised" wouldn't be an adequate descriptive. The debate of defense would be futile as well. A human versus one of his ilk?
Jacob the Enforcer exhaled a sardonic laugh.
The redheaded woman had chosen poorly, in his opinion. No respectable male would have encouraged his partner to venture out on such a forbidding night. Mystical portents aside, the street they walked was notoriously disreputable. Menacing shadows shifted with threats unknown to simple human senses as clouds skimmed over the fickle light of the moon.
The couple walked beneath him, oblivious to his camouflaged presence.
Not to mention the coming of the other.
Jacob cocked his head, taking careful note of the other's distant movements. Though the man-made features of a glass-and-concrete city numbed the Enforcer's favored senses, he could still follow the comer's progress easily. The younger, less experienced Demon was being careless, his focus riveted to his objective.
The human female.
Jacob recognized the younger Demon's hunger, feeling it as it eddied into him, oppressive and pungent with the musk of unrestrained lust. The young Demon, Kane by common name, was stepping in and out of solid existence as he progressed toward the redhead. Kane's fixation was making him uncharacteristically single-minded. He had no idea that the Enforcer had pursued him, that he was now lying in resolute wait for him.
Kane abruptly appeared on the pavement below in a burst of roiling smoke and the distinctive odor of sulfur. He was several yards behind the unknowing couple, his teleportation going completely unnoticed despite its display.
Jacob waited, the tension stretching his nerves taut. Although it pressed on him to interfere, it was his duty to let the other Demon commit to his course. Only then would he have justification for bringing the laws of their people down on him. All the while, he prayed to Destiny that Kane would regain control and walk away.
As Jacob gave the other Demon his chance to change his mind, he sat as still as a stone, watching Kane step into the recently trod path of the couple. When he passed beneath the Enforcer's unseen perch up on the light pole to gain on his prey, Jacob launched upward into the air in a light, airy leap from one lamppost to the next several yards down the sidewalk. There was no sound as his feet touched the cool metal, no rustle of the clothing he wore as he crouched down once more in perfect balance. The only telltale sign of his presence was the sudden flickering twitch of the light. It only took him a moment to compensate, making the others below him perceive all as normal, though in actuality the light continued to flash with increasing spasms of protest.
He kept his thoughts hidden behind this projected camouflage as well. He knew that even in the grip of these basest of instincts, Kane would sense him if he did not. And yet, a whisper in the back of his mind was begging the Enforcer within him to just once, only this once, make an error. One small error, it murmured, and Kane, who is so dear to you, will sense your presence and your thoughts. Let him have the chance that you have denied so many others.
No one would ever know what Jacob sacrificed to deny that insidious whispering. Regardless of the voice's entreaty, he could not forswear his duty.
So instead, he watched as Kane sent out his summons to the vulnerable couple. Abruptly, the male human turned and walked away from the female, abandoning her without reason or the awareness that he was doing so. The redhead turned completely around, facing the approaching Demon. She was quite beautiful, Jacob noted as she faced the lamplight, with a lush, long body and auburn curls hanging in lengthy coils down her back. It was clear why she had attracted Kane. It wasn't the Enforcer in Jacob that allowed a small, quirking smile to play at the corner of his otherwise grim lips.
Kane sauntered up to her, completely confident of his power over her, and reached to touch her face. Jacob could see the thrall in her eyes, the manipulation of her mind making her soft and pliant, making her turn her cheek into his affectionate caress.
The affection was a lie. What would start with this gentility could not possibly end with it. It was the nature of the creatures that they were, and it was inevitable. This was why he could never have allowed Kane any more warning than he had already given hundreds ... no ... thousands of times before this.
Jacob had seen enough.
He leapt lightly into the air, his long body tumbling gracefully in a backflip until he came full around and landed soundlessly behind the redheaded woman. He discarded his camouflage so abruptly that Kane sucked in a loud, startled breath. He froze when he saw Jacob, and the Elder was easily aware of what the young Demon's thoughts must be.
The Enforcer had come to punish him.
It was enough to make Kane swallow visibly in apprehension. His hand jerked away from the redhead's cheek as if she'd burned him, and his concentration broke from her. She blinked, suddenly becoming aware that she was sandwiched between two strange men and had no idea how she had gotten there.
"Take hold of her mind, Kane. Do not make this worse by frightening her."
Kane obeyed instantaneously and the lovely woman relaxed, smiling softly as if she were in the easy company of old friends, now completely at peace.
"Jacob, what brings you out on a night like this?"
Jacob wasn't deterred by Kane's casual quip or his attempt at saving face through levity. The Enforcer already knew the other male was not wicked at heart. Kane was still relatively untrained and, considering the conditions of the night, it was easy for him to be led astray by his own baser nature.
That did not change the stark facts of the moment. Kane had literally been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His knee-jerk reaction, understandably, was to bargain his way out of the punishment he knew was impending. He would start with humor and continue on to every other tool in his arsenal.
"You know why I am here," the Enforcer said, nipping those tools right in the bud with a chill, disciplined tone that warned Kane not to test his mettle.
"So maybe I do," Kane relented, his dark blue eyes lowering as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I wasn't going to do anything. I was just ... restless."
"I see. So you thought to seduce this woman to appease your restlessness?" Jacob asked bluntly as he folded his arms across his chest. His entire manner radiated the image of a parent scolding a wayward child. It could be an amusing thought, considering Kane was just about to enter his second century of life, but the matter was too serious by far.
"I wasn't going to hurt her," Kane protested.
Jacob realized that Kane actually thought that was true. "No?" he countered. "Just what were you going to do? Ask politely if you could visit the savageness of your present nature on her? How does one word that, exactly?"
Kane fell stubbornly silent. He knew that the Enforcer had read his intentions from the moment he'd decided to stalk prey. Arguments and denials would just worsen the situation. Besides, the incriminating evidence of his transgression was standing between them.
For a brief, passionate moment, Kane's thoughts filled with vivid mental imaginings of what could have been more incriminating. He suppressed a shudder of sinful response, his eyes falling covetously on the woman standing so beautifully serene before him. Had Jacob been even slightly off his irritatingly perfect game and come into the picture a half hour later ...
"Kane, this is a difficult time for our people. You are as susceptible to these base cravings as any other Demon," the Enforcer said with implacable resolve. It was as though Jacob were the one who could read Kane's mind, rather than the other way around. "Still, you are a mere two years from becoming adult. I cannot believe you have me chasing you down like a green fledgling. Think of what I could be accomplishing if I were not standing here saving you from yourself."
Kane's rugged features flushed red with the shame Jacob intentionally laid at his feet. It relieved the Enforcer to see the reaction. It told him that Kane's conscience was once again functioning, his usually smart sense of morality closer to restoration.
"I'm sorry, Jacob, I really am," he said at last, this time with sincerity rather than as another ploy to try to disarm the Enforcer. Jacob could tell he was sincere because he finally stopped staring at the redhead as if she were due to be served to him on the proverbial silver platter.
As the Enforcer's dynamic presence stabilized his principles, Kane was realizing that he'd placed Jacob in an untenable position, perhaps in a way that might forever mar their relationship. Kane's throat closed with the sharp sense of remorse that knifed through him.
It was as overpowering as the dread that was welling up within him. He'd betrayed the sanctity of their laws, and there was punishment for that-a punishment that made an entire species catch their breath and back away whenever the Enforcer entered the vicinity. Kane could suddenly feel the weight of Jacob's position, and it sharpened his regret to a point of pain in his chest.
"You will send this woman home safely by reuniting her with her escort and making sure she remembers nothing of your misbehavior," Jacob instructed softly as he watched the tumult of emotion that swam across Kane's face. "Then you will go home. Your punishment will come later."
"But I didn't do anything," Kane protested, a swift rise of inescapable fear fueling the objection.
"You would have, Kane. Do not make this worse by lying to yourself about that. You will only convince yourself that I am the villain others like to make me out to be. That will only cause us both pain."
Kane realized that truth with another upsurge of guilt. Sighing resolutely, he closed his eyes and concentrated for all of a second. Moments later, the redhead's escort loped back across the street with a smile and a call to her.
"Hey! Where'd ya go? I turned the corner and suddenly you weren't there!"
"I'm sorry. I was distracted by something and didn't realize you'd gone, Charlie."
Charlie linked his arm with his date's and, completely oblivious to the two Demons barely a breath away, drew her off.
"Good," Jacob commended Kane. It was simple and to the point. The younger Demon was becoming quite efficient as he matured.
Kane sighed, sounding gravely bereft.
"She's so beautiful. Did you see that smile? All I could think about was how much I wanted her to smile when ..." Kane flushed as he looked at the Enforcer. Jacob was well aware that her smile hadn't been his only motivation. "I never thought this would happen to me, Jacob. You have to believe that."
"I do." Jacob hesitated for a moment, for the first time making it obvious to Kane that this had been a terrible struggle for him, no matter how well he projected otherwise. "Do not worry, Kane. I know who you really are. I know that this curse is hard for us to fight. Now," he said, his tone back to business, "please return home. You will find Abram there awaiting you."
This time, Kane brushed away the welling trepidation within himself. He did this for Jacob's sake, knowing how deeply this cut the Elder Demon, even though his thoughts were too carefully guarded for Kane to read. "You do your duty as you would with anyone. I understand that, Jacob."
Kane then gave the Enforcer a short nod of kinship. After glancing around to make sure they were unobserved, he exploded into a burst of sulfur and smoke as he teleported away.
Jacob stood for long moments on the sidewalk, his senses attentive until he was confident Kane was truly returning home. It wasn't unprecedented for a Demon to try running away and hiding for fear of impending punishment. Nevertheless, Kane was on the proper path, in more ways than one, once again.
Jacob turned and glanced up the street in the direction the human couple had taken. It never ceased to amaze him how lacking in instincts humans were. For all their civilization and technological advances, they had truly lost something valuable in trading away their animalist intuitions. That woman would be forever ignorant of how close she had come to danger. Meeting a wayward Demon in the shadow of a cursed moon was something no mortal wanted to be a part of.
Jacob released himself from the hold of gravity and rose into the air, barely causing a displacing breeze as he did so. His long, athletic body cut through the night like a beautifully honed blade. He soared past high-rises, some of the lights in the nearest occupied windows flickering in complaint at his passing. He burst up into the clear night sky.
Here, Jacob hesitated. He paused to study the bright, waxing moon with a frown he could not suppress. This was the way it was the weeks before and after the full moon of Beltane in spring and Samhain in autumn. These holidays were held Hallowed by Demons, but at the same time, they were the center of their curse. Restlessness amongst his people would only grow worse this coming week, peaking at the fullest moon. There would be more straying in the fledgling and adult generations. Even Elders would find their control sorely tempted.
Jacob had been chosen as Enforcer for a reason. His was a control beyond measure. Even the Demon monarch was considered more susceptible to this madness than he, and that was saying a lot considering that in all his four hundred years as Enforcer, Jacob had never been called to pull Noah, the Demon King, into check.
Jacob was grateful for that. Noah's powers were not something he would relish going up against. Their King hadn't earned his position by mere bloodlines like those in human histories did. Noah had earned his place based solely on his leadership and superiority of power.
As Jacob flew onward, his thoughts turned philosophical. Was it harder to be Enforcer or to be the King who must choose the Enforcer, as Noah had chosen Jacob? When making the choice, Noah would have been forced to acknowledge that there was an equal chance that he might one day find himself face-to-face with the Enforcer.
It was a brave leader who could still make the best choice knowing that one day he might live to regret it.
Noah looked up from his reading, the eddying energy of Jacob's approach reaching him long before the Enforcer himself drifted in through a high window in the form of a soft shower of dust. The Demon King understood that Jacob had allowed him to be aware of his coming, as he always did, out of respect. If he had wished, the Enforcer could have camouflaged his presence right up until the moment the dust coalesced into his normal athletic form, as it was doing now.
Noah watched the other Elder, who was now floating above the floor in solid form. Jacob returned his relationship with gravity to normal, touching down with the fluid grace that was always present in his natural movements.
The King sat back, his impressive build filling the oaken frame of his high-backed chair. Where Jacob was shaped for quick, agile power, Noah was bolder in his musculature and build. This was easily seen in the snug fit of his buff riding breeches and a silk shirt specifically tailored to the wide breadth of his shoulders. Still, Noah had his own style of elegance, and it showed as he casually hooked a black-booted ankle over his opposite knee. He sat silently for several beats, taking the Enforcer's measure thoroughly.
"I take it you found your youngest brother in time to stop him from causing any chaos?"
Excerpted from THE NIGHTWALKERS Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank Copyright © 2006 by Jacquelyn Frank. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
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Meet the Author
Jacquelyn Frank is the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightwalkers series, the Shadowdwellers novels, the Gatherers novels, and the Three Worlds series. She lives in North Carolina.
Xe Sands has more than a decade of experience bringing stories to life through narration and performance. Sands's characterizations are rich and expressive and her narrations evocative and intimate. She has also won multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, including for her narration of The Sweet Relief of Missing Children by Sarah Braunstein.
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I couldn't put this book down once I started. I read the whole thing in one sitting. I love paranormal romance and after reading so much about vampires it was nice to find something different. It was great how the things we think as evil were given human qualities and feelings. And Jacob...yum yum.
I read many of the reviews and cannot understand how no one else sees how similar these books are to Christine Feehan's Dark series! They are so similar I cannot believe there isn't a lawsuit pending. The Demons are like the Carpathians and the Druid women are like the psychic female "Lifemates" in the Dark books. In both, once bonded, they cannot be apart, etc. All of the males in both are heading towards some kind of "darkness" only to be saved by their other half, etc.
The characters were fine. Noah was the most likable and charismatic of the group. These books are fine for a rainy afternoon but if you are a reader of Feehan, the similarities can be distracting at times.
An enjoyable read. Jacob is an enforcer for a long-lived race called "Demons". His job is keep his people from hurting humans who they stalk during certain times of the year, when their control is thin. What he doesn't expect is to be drawn to a human himself--Bella, a librarian with a surprising abilities that surface when she meets him. This was an interesting Paranormal--the world was wonderfully built, the secondary characters intrigued me as well as the main hero and heroine. I found myself wanting to know more about the world and the people in it. The heroine herself was spunky, but at times she became a bit wearying--and Jacob too understanding. She had a tendency to pop her hands on her hips that after awhile, was a touch annoying (I wonder how Jacob will feel about it 300 years from now)But,still,I wanted to know why Bella was special, why she acquired her powers--and how Jacob was going to deal with it. Another thing I enjoyed--it turned out Bella was there to be Jacobs other half--and she was to help him in his work. This focus on "Team work" was important--because together they can overcome the slow decline that is taking over the Demon race--and reverse it. This appealed to me that one person doesn't save the day--it takes a team. I want to read the rest of the series and learn about all the rest of the secondary Characters, like Gideon-the oldest of their race and Adam their king. I adore series like this that introduce multiple secondary characters that bleed out to future books-- because I'm not ready to leave this world just yet.
I was very pleasantly surprised how much I love the series and this author. I picked up the first book for vacation on a whim and now I cannot get enough of the Nightwalkers !!!! If you like paranormal romances, try this author and her series...you will be going back for more.
Great, well-rounded and realistic characters. The plot is interesting and well written. A different take on a common subject. If you like Black Dagger Brotherhood, you'll love these and vice versa!
amazing is the only word I can really use to describe this book. The characters were awesome, I can't wait to read more of these great books!!!
The book was great. I was thinking, "oh this is gonna be like BDB series." It is similar but goes on its own pathway which is great. I couldnt put them down. Cant wait for th next. All five books thus far I love.
Although i didnt hate it i cant say i loved it. Too sliw pace for my taste and found myself skipping pages to get to the action. I like the characters but too much writing on their thoughts and feelings i had to flip pages. Still trying to decide if i want to continue the series.
It was a great read.....don't know what confused the last reviewer about it. Bella is a woman who could hold her own with an open mind to compliment that!!
So, I'll start off by saying I've already bought and have started reading the next book. I was almost worried at the beginning because it seemed kind of slow, but it quickly got exciting. From there, it was a non stop journey of excitement, passion, and mystery. When I say that this book has everyting, I'm not exaggerating. This is my 1st book from this author which always make me leary of trying out. I absolutely love her version of the Demon world. I've read other books about vampires and different perspectives of how they could live. This includes a lot of other mythical creatures and I'm assuming we'll know more about them in the next books as well as the demons. Bella has spunk. I like the way she is innocent in one way but highly intelligent and fiery all at the same time. I could almost picture her and Jacob from the author's detailed descriptions of every inch of them. I can also appreciate that there aren't too many parts that you can figure out easily. Even if you know someone is going to get together or someone is going to die, you don't know how it's going to happen. What else can I say...So far, so GREAT!
This the first book I have read of hers. I have looked at her books and was hestitate about a new author but I was not diappointed with this book. I am now read the 3rd in the series and have loved them all. Will read all her books. Love the Jacob and Bella story.
Let's just say it had a great ending and I would really love to read book 2. Great love story.
I absolutely loved this book. i loved both the hero and the heroine. especially the hero. Jacob was perfect. hot. strong. sensitive. insecure in a manly sort of way. and he had an accent to top it all off. i thought the romance was true even while the sex was steamy. adding to all that, the world that was created was really awesome. the twist of the Demon world was pretty original ( the only other thing that comes to close is kresley cole's concept of demons, in the way that they aren't devil creatures). the Demons all had elemental powers that was a new slant to demon lure. the culture that was created was detailed and interesting. i would definitely recommend this book!
Great Book, Great Author would recommend to other's!
I thought this was one of the most exciting and romantic books I have read in a long time. The main character, jacob is suave, debonair and happens to have supernatural powers because he is a demon. His counterpart is a wonderfully funny, naive character who falls in love with Jacob and makes him love himself. You can't help but love him and all the characters associated with him. I am glad that she has several more books in the series as well as several sequels.
Jacob is the first installment of the Nightwalkers series by Jacquelyn Frank. Because of the name of the series, I first thought that Jacob was a vampire story but it's actually about demons. Jacob is a compelling and extremely interesting story with strong likable characters
Jacquelyn Frank has a way with words. This was an awesome read. Jacob has action, suspense, humor and romance. The romance between Isabella and Jacob was to die for. The supporting characters in the book were very likeable. Can't wait to get started on Gideon.
The characters are great
I love jacob. I read this along time ago and it still stays with me in my mind when i think about books i enjoyed. I read others in this series but none stuck in my had like this one does.
My real name is Jack thank you
I typically stay far away from the PNR category, it's just not my thing. But I quite enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more of this series.