Guardians (Hansen)

Abednego, as the first book of the Guardians Series, tries to introduce the different races and realms of the Guardians, primarily through the frightened and bewildered eyes of Samantha "Sam" Trent. When she meets Abednego, the interrogator and his organization are all she knows about Guardians or Nephilim, and she is understandably vehemently opposed to Abednego claiming her as his "keeper" or mate, a role that has more to do with accountability than the romance Sam immediately assumed it entailed. As the descendants of Angels, the Guardians aren't offered salvation, so they each have a "keeper" who can invoke their name and take away their free will temporarily so they don't fall into evil ways. Of course, each Guardian she meets has a different philosophy on what exactly a mate's responsibilities are, and even how appropriate it is to use someone's name when they aren't your keeper. More importantly, they each have to ask if a human mate can be trusted to weild the power of a Horse Lord's name. Abednego isn't quite as far behind since he knew other Guardians centuries ago before the Hunts of the Middle Ages demolished his people and sent the other races into hiding. But a lot has happened in the time since, and worse, he has no idea what to do with a human mate. That is, assuming the others' antics don't ruin what little chance he has left.

A lone Wyr is a Nephilim Wyr. One year ago, six weeks before Abednego found Samantha Trent, Shawn Garrou lost his whole pack. Rather, his parents, the alpha pair, turned Nephilim, and the pack followed. Shawn hadn't and they had attacked him. And he'd killed them all. Now he was at the mercy of Ilya Nicholaevich. The Bane. The Ice Prince of those godforsaken Panthyr! Garrou needed a pack, but no Wyr in his right mind would take him in. He still had his casino, Shawn's, which was run by his cousins in White Tree, but he didn't dare go inside. Shawn was strong, always had been, and whether he wanted to or not, he could take em'. But he was also a ticking time bomb and everyone knew it. He'd had one chance, and he let her go eight years ago. But dare or no dare, ticking or not, the Panthyr had a plan, and that plan, right then, involved Shawn walking into a casino full of righteous Wyr. And walking out alive with whoever Ilya wanted him to meet in there. Cats!