Legacy (Bitikofer)

England, 1555. John Croxen, convinced that he is possessed by a demon, takes a risk when he saves the life of a beautiful gypsy woman one night while roaming the forests of England. However, Annalette is not as she appears. She knows that John is not demon possessed, but in fact a loup-garou - a werewolf. Alone and in need of his unique kind of help, Annalette strikes a bargain with John. If he can help rescue her condemned brother from prison, she will tell him everything he needs to know about being a loup-garou. After living in ignorance for over a hundred years, he's due for a lesson or two. With the rural population on the lookout for gypsy vagrants to turn over to the authorities for execution, John and Annalette must do something they have never done before. Trust a perfect stranger.

Egypt and Middle Europe, 1570. Tor had known nothing else of life outside of his lonely temple in Asyut. The last priest of the half-man, half-wolf Egyptian god Wepwawet, his days are filled with pious rituals that celebrate the union between his spirit and the gift of transformation his god had bestowed upon him and his family from birth. The sole survivor of his priesthood, he believes he is the only one who can maintain balance between Ma'at (order) and chaos that would inevitably consume the world. All of that changes when Giovanni, an Italian explorer under the payroll of the vampire lord, Michael Gennari, finds Tor in his temple and asks for his help to find the lost civilization where vampires and werewolves once lived in harmony thousands of years ago. Knowing something of the mythical Arnathia, Tor agrees to help. Jane Gennari, Michael's young and mischievous daughter, has another plan for Tor. Inadvertently, she makes a long and arduous journey to the Caspian Sea even more dangerous. Drawn to his raw, savage, and sometimes uncivilized character, she lusts after him with a fervor that seems revolting to other vampires. The vampires and werewolves have been at war for centuries, but Michael's small coven do not adhere to such prejudices. With hunters, traitors, and the unforgiving elements working against them, vampire and werewolf must unite for a common goal: to seek the truth of what happened to upset the balance between their races.

England, 1623. Darren Dubose was born a sickly bastard child. Often confined to his bed, he knows nothing of what it's like to be healthy and well. His mother raises him alone, but not even she can ease his suffering and longing for a normal childhood. One night, he's stricken by unexplainable pain and agony. Thinking this is the moment he dies, he doesn't expect to wake up the next morning after he blacks out. But, he does. Only now, he is unnaturally fast and has the strong body he has always wanted. Able to run miles within seconds and throw heavy boulders across rivers, it seems that Darren's prayers have finally been answered. His new, phenomenal abilities come with a heavy price when the superstitious villagers of Warminster accuse him of being in league with the devil. How else could he have grown twice his size overnight? The truth lies with a friendly baker who tries to tell Darren that he's a werewolf, a man who can turn into a beast by moonlight. Frightened and skeptical, Darren must find his own way as the world he has known and loved his whole life begins to crumble beneath his feet. Everything he knows is called into question. Will solace lie within himself, with a mysterious alpha in France, or in the slate blue eyes of a girl who is trapped in a similar fate? His life, and the lives of those he loves are now at risk, but can he find the courage to outrun death?

Russia, 1648. Geoffrey and Hugo Swenson scour the globe, searching out and cataloguing stories about their kind. About werewolves. They find themselves in Russia, hunting down a specific legend about a mythic white wolf that is said to embody the spirit of peace. As their world is consumed by war, violence, and destruction, they want to find the White Wolf to beseech it to expel the evil from the hearts of men. They meet an unlikely ally in a pair of vampires, Michael Gennari and Anton Wiatrowsk, who are in search of the White Wolf for the same reason. The two races who are supposed to be at war with one another, must set aside their differences and join forces to trek across the rugged landscape of Siberia, through a country torn by riots and rebellions, in hopes to find peace for the world. But, can they find peace in themselves first?

Caribbean, 1717. James Lent, better known as the Devil Dog of the Caribbean, is one of the most fearsome pirates known to stalk the sea. Only his quartermaster knows his darkest secret that he's not just a brave captain, but a werewolf. Things begin to get complicated when he holds the daughter of the governor of Kingston for ransom, this cold and ruthless pirate's heart begins to soften. They don't get better when he needs to outrun an infamous pirate hunter, Bart Croxen. Torn between freedom and love, the Devil Dog must decide his fate before someone else does. Grace Norrie longs for freedom and an escape from the confining world of corsets, lace, and etiquette. When a mysterious man arrives to her eighteenth birthday party under the pretense of being a gentleman and promises adventure if she'll let him take her away, her world is flipped upside down. Her heart is set ablaze, and continues to burn even when she finds out that this man she's fallen in love with is the scourge of the seas, The Devil Dog. Now, her mind wildly beats against her heart, unsure of what she truly wants and trying to decide what is rightfully hers. Happiness or safety.

Navajo Territory, 1734. Adam, the mixed child of a Navajo woman and European trader, makes the unsettling discovery that he is not any normal man. When Geoffrey Swenson shows back up to the village, prompted to visit his son for the first time since boyhood, it's for a more disquieting reason. Adam is coming into his true identity as a werewolf and must leave behind his old ways of life, his traditions, and everything he's known, to train with his estranged father. But with a new sickness sweeping through the tribes, leaving may prove harder than they ever imagined. A mistake made in his early years has formed a rift between father and son, but now Geoffrey is Adam's only hope for mastering his new werewolf abilities. After being abandoned by his own father before his first shift, Geoffrey knows how difficult it is to cope with these changes. But he begins to realize that maybe Adam is the one who can teach him a thing or two about what it means to be a werewolf.

Ireland, 1770. Dustin Keith only wants two things in life; to have fun and marry his childhood sweetheart. When he finally wins the approval of her traditional father, he thinks that things couldn't get better. But when what should have been a blissful wedding night turns into a walking nightmare, Dustin must come to grips with a part of himself that harkens back to the old-world superstitions that he thought he could leave behind when he said his vows. After shifting for the first time into a faoladh - werewolf - Dustin flees from his homeland and washes up on the shores of France, where an alpha and his family take him in to nurse him back to health. But Dustin couldn't completely escape Ireland and danger follows him all the way to Darren Dubose's homestead.

Australia, 1791. Geoffrey and Adam Swenson are imprisoned on a ship, bound for Australia – then known as New Holland – under bogus criminal charges pressed against them in England. After they escape and flee from the budding settlement of New South Wales, they find that they are not the only werewolves on this strange and dangerous new continent. In desperate need to return home, they must align themselves with unlikely allies and set aside old grudges if they ever expect to survive. The elements, the Aborigines, and the loose laws set down in the penal colony of Sydney all work against them. Death lurks behind every corner and even though a new ally appears, both are hesitant to trust a man who has already shown himself to be a flight risk in the past. But all Alfred Swenson wants is a chance at reconciliation with his family after being absent from their lives for over four hundred years.

New Orleans – 1815 Bart Croxen never thought he would see his son again, especially not in Louisiana. Andrew Jackson has finally lifted marshal law over the port city after the Battle of New Orleans and everyone is eager to praise and honor the valiant war heroes who defended them against the invading British. Creoles, Acadians, Irish, Germans, Spanish, and plenty of French citizens welcome Baratarian pirates like James and Robert into their social circles, but they are more interested in reuniting with their estranged relative. They come to find out that Bart has made a reputation for himself as a tamer of rougarous, werewolves like himself who had developed a taste for human flesh. On his plantation of sharecroppers – mostly former slaves that Bart has freed himself – he rehabilitates deranged werewolves in secret. James has arrived just in time to see his father in action, though he still has some reserves about how the plantation and virtual prison is being operated. Although everyone assures him that Bart is generous and selfless to a fault, he is still not convinced. After an escape attempt by a particularly stubborn and dangerous rougarou, some start to think he may be onto something.

America – 1862 The nation has been torn apart by a war of secession, but not all southerners are alike and fight for their own causes. That's what Dustin Keith, a werewolf recently liberated from his mentor's guardianship, saw in Ben Myers, a Georgia farm boy serving in the Confederate Army. Only in the army so he could escape north and then find a way abroad, Dustin never expected to take part in the single bloodiest day in American history. At Antietam, Ben is fatally wounded and Dustin sees that the only way to save this good soul is to turn him into what he is – a werewolf. With a wife and infant son at home, Ben wants nothing more than to see the end of this terrible war and go home to his own state. But now, freshly turned into a supernatural creature with unbelievable abilities, the long journey home from Virginia has become that much more difficult. If the enemy army, a strict mentor, and sheer distance weren't enough, there's something off about Ben's condition that will make it nearly impossible for him to enter society ever again.

The Wild West - 1875 Ben Myers escaped to the untamed west to find a new life away from the demons of his past. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of a conflict that his conscience won't let him abandon. As a werewolf that can't hide his true nature, he's avoided by most of the folks he encounters. But one girl, desperate to find her family's murderer, beseeches him for his help. She has no idea what he really is, and only knows that his unique talents can help her find the killer. But there's more out on the lonely prairie than cattle rustlers and bitter natives to contend with. When it becomes clear that this gang of outlaws are no ordinary men, Ben knows he's in over his head. Convinced that he was the only werewolf in the wild west, he never thought he'd have to deal with a pack of his own kind who have adopted a twisted superior view of where they rank in the hierarchy of life. The only way he can bring them to justice is with the help of another older werewolf sheriff by the name of Bart Croxen, who's been jaded and has his own beliefs about the nature of their kind. Closed in on both sides, Ben must choose what's right and fair before a deadly shootout brings it all to a bloody end.

The Deviants America — 1897 For Logan Elster, life was hard enough. With a gambling drunkard of a father and a mother who had to lie about her bruises, there's only so much a sixteen year old can do. But when he comes home to witness another beating, he flies into a rage and discovers something about his ancestry that he never knew before. He has inherited a frightening gift from his grandfather and has become a werewolf, inadvertently destroying everything he holds dear. In search of the only man who can help him, Logan finds more than just a mentor in the small town of Devia, Alabama. He finds a community of men just like him. A community of werewolves. But the community is in far more danger than their leader, Robert Croxen, will ever admit to. An industrial revolution is sweeping the nation and the railroad has come to lower Alabama. Devia is in the perfect place, but Robert won't sell a single acre, no matter the price. Desperation drives the owner of the railroad to investigate what Robert's hiding and what his spies find is something out of the old world fairytales. Question is, what will he do about it?

April, 1912 After nine long years of training as a freshly turned werewolf, and five more years of searching Europe, Logan Elster has finally come face-to-face with the man from whom he inherited his supernatural gifts. But, he is just as surprised as his mentor, Darren Dubose to find a very altered version of Dustin Keith. After learning of some unfinished business the Irish werewolf had left behind in America, both Logan and Darren know they have to take the werewolf beta back across the ocean with them. The safety of a future pack mate depends on it. Express tickets are booked for each of them aboard the newest steamer, the queen of the Atlantic, the Titanic. The marvel of the age, the biggest moving vessel crafted by the hands of man, it is everything they expect it to be and more. Even when they hold third class tickets, the accommodations are incredible. But more trouble awaits on the spacious decks and each werewolf is confronted with harsh truths about themselves, their relations to one another, and their future together. It doesn't help that three ladies have set their eyes on the newly formed pack. They believe these complications couldn't get much worse until the night of April 14th, when they'll have to worry about more than just keeping their preternatural identities a secret from the other passengers.

Oregon Coast, 1915 Adam and Geoffrey Swenson have finally come to the end of their journey. They have collected as many shifter myths as they could possibly gather in the midst of this new age filled with technological advancements. For werewolves, their world is growing ever smaller. But their circle is expanding. They have taken lodging with a much older werewolf, Tor, who operates an isolated lighthouse on the Oregon coast. There, they intend to write down their findings over several centuries spent scouring the world for stories. Adam's wanted a quiet place to rest ever since he survived the massacre at Devia just seventeen years prior. Still haunted by the faces of those he lost, Adam's ready for peace. But there's one story that has yet to be lived. They won't be the only ones staying with Tor, and when he meets the vampires, Adam's world is flipped. Jane and Michael Gennari are in transit. With all of Europe engaged in a bloody and controversial war, America seemed the best place for the two Italian vampires to lay low and make a new life for themselves. Especially Jane, who has spent the last few decades killing rampaging werewolves in Russia with other vampires. Tor has been kind enough to offer his lighthouse to them, but those Jane sees it as a prison, not a refuge. Her father is aiming to dull her sharp edges and remind her that she is a lady, not a warrior. Her wild spirit can't be contained, and when she lays eyes on the handsome werewolf she'll be living with, a new war rages within her and she doesn't know whether he's an enemy or a foe.

Chicago, 1924 The twelve-year search for Ben Myers has proved fruitless. In a profound act of trust, Darren Dubose and Dustin Keith taken a detour to Chicago to hand their protégé, Logan, off to reliable werewolf, Will Croxen, and old friends from Devia. Though Will was once a rougarou, the alpha has decided to give his protégé a little more leash to see what Logan will do with the freedom he longs for. In the meantime, they have their list of packs and alphas to visit in their search for the elusive werewolf whose golden eyes won't go away. But, it doesn't take long for Logan to find out that Chicago, one of the most corrupt cities in America, would be far more dangerous and tempting for a rebellious werewolf-in-training than any of them could have predicted.