The Sundown Saga Series

Fallon Roxbury has a nose for trouble, and the uncanny ability for landing in the middle of it the moment he finds it. While investigating the gruesome murder of a young male prostitute in the red-light district, Fallon gets a whiff of something very strange. Forensics has unidentified hairs. Very unidentified hairs, like nothing in any of the textbooks. Following a tip from a person of interest, Fallon meets Sundown, an apparent hustler who knows a lot more than he will admit. Getting personally involved with Sundown breaks every rule in the police manual, and in Fallon’s own personal code. Sundown is like a drug, and Fallon can’t stop at just one hit. When Sundown is forced to reveal the truth, Fallon’s world is turned upside down, and he’s left with only two options: check himself in for psychiatric evaluation, or accept a new reality with a strange shift. Shapeshifters, that is. * * * Sundown shook his head. “She didn’t see Michael Carlton, dead or alive, or anyone else go in or out of the alley until your people showed up.” I clamped down on my anger. “That’s good to know, but I need to hear it from her.” “Do you?” He cocked his head to the side. “You’re out of luck, Fallon. She is gone from here, and it is beyond my ability to bring her back.” “Why’d she send me here, then?” His green eyes flashed with his inner fire, anchoring me where I stood. “So I could give you want you needed, Fallon. What you need me to give you again.” “Don’t be so damn sure of yourself. I don’t need you.” I lied, and he knew it, the knowledge reflected back at me in his level gaze. “Come inside and tell me you do not need what I offer you.” I didn’t think I could. My resolve to bully him into giving up Muffin’s whereabouts waned with every pheromone-laden breath I took. I stood inside the ring of warmth and scent that surrounded him.  “I can’t compromise my investigation further, Sundown. Carlton’s parents are flying in to claim the body. I need to have answers for them.” His fingers grazed mine, the gentle touch heating my blood. “I knew you were a good man. I trust you, Fallon. Will you trust me?” “I trust you to be nothing but trouble.”

Fallon Roxbury, seasoned detective and special police consultant, knows that appearances can be deceiving. Trained to gather the clues and arrive at logical conclusions, he fits the puzzle pieces of a situation together to find the truth. But there’s nothing reasonable in Fallon’s attraction to the sexy, secretive shapeshifter called Sundown. Sundown has studied people all his life. Having his very own human male is all he ever wanted. In Fallon, he’s found a man he can trust with his secrets and reveal his true nature. Keeping Fallon happy is a joyful exercise into which Sundown puts his heart and soul—when he’s not teasing Fallon’s police partner by leaving strange footprints at crime scenes, that is. Fallon’s new case ties into an old one. At a dead end, he knows it’s time to ask Sundown for a little help. With his special abilities, Sundown can get into places Fallon can’t. All Fallon has to do is figure out a way to prove what he already knows. But what’s a cop to do when the truth takes a shift that’s stranger than fiction? * * * Without a word, Sundown rolled from the bed and padded off to the bathroom, his footsteps silent on the carpet. The skin he wore for me was quite attractive. Tall and slender, he moved with a controlled grace, each step measured, no effort wasted. His shiny dark hair, green eyes, and full, berry-colored lips were perfect—too perfect if someone looked closely at my shapeshifter lover. I closed my eyes and listened to him move around the apartment, finally reopening them to admire his form as he returned carrying two cups of coffee. I accepted both mugs until he rejoined me under the sheet, then handed one back to him. I loved these lazy mornings when we the most strenuous thing we had to do was nothing at all. Sundown rubbed his thigh against mine. “Tell me more about this girl whose killer you seek.” If I didn’t tell him, he’d chatter at me until I did. It was better to give him the short version and get it over with, even though I knew it would upset his tender heart. “Maria DeLong’s parents reported her missing ten years ago. She turned up dead four years ago. Someone beat her to death and tossed her body out along Route 17. They carved the letter W into her cheek.” Sundown grew still and silent. Not for the first time I wondered if his kind had racial memory and could remember those things done to their brethren in the Chal ancient past he refused to discuss with me. His people had been enslaved when they arrived on this world, and that’s all the Chal history I’d gotten out of him. He drew in a quick, short breath and then blew it out. “The Chal can help. We are able to go into places where you can not.” For once, his people would be on my side. “The Elders will sanction that? Right. Tell me another story.” “I was with the Elders yesterday, apologizing for my actions regarding Sergeant Mack. I have promised them—again—that I will cease to play Sasquatch tricks on him.” “But did you promise not to play any tricks on him, period, or just the Bigfoot ones?” He blinked at me, dismay written all over his face. Uh-huh. I had him now. “Chupacabra, perhaps?” His mouth dropped open. His eyes widened. “That is not me! I’ve never been to Texas!”

Shapeshifters walk among us, guarding us from their ancient nemesis. They seek to prevent the enemy’s return to earth to enslave both Chal and human alike. Secrets of the Chal past come to light when Lieutenant Fallon Roxbury’s suppressed memories of his early years resurface. The shapeshifters have always had a plan to defeat their enemy, one with Fallon’s alien lover Sundown at its core. It’s a reminder that looks can be deceiving, and the shapeshifter he shares his life with isn’t human.  Protecting the Chal is a full-time job, a task which would be easier if they weren’t so secretive - and scheming. When his police force partner suggests a vacation, Fallon jumps at the chance to take Sundown someplace private. A resort near where he grew up seems like the perfect place for a get-away. Ten days filled with togetherness, sleep and sun is just what they both need. How could he know so much more than fun lurks in the woods? * * * “You have a plan!” I rolled my eyes at him. “Of course I have a plan. I’m a cop. I’m trained to examine all the evidence and choose the best option.” “Which is…?” I stood and rested my hands on his shoulders. “Run like the cowards we are. We’re going to get the fuck out of town for a few days starting now, while the caretakers deal with the nestling.” Czun Dun Nhunfi, the pride of his Clan, went completely still and blinked twice. I knew that look too well. He was telepathic, and he’d just communicated with the Elders. His gaze refocused on mine. “I will pack my things and stay at your apartment until we can leave.” I burst out laughing. It was pitiful. One grown man and one grown shapeshifter fleeing a little glowball no bigger than a housecat. But as usual, Sundown had his own sense of logic, which he presented to me.  “You won’t laugh if Ozli decides to look like you. Nor will you like it if the nestling sneaks into our bed while I have you on your back making you howl with pleasure. It could mimic your pose and the sound you make, you know.” I sobered - fast. “Get your pants on. I’ll help you pack.” “I thought you’d see it my way, Lieutenant.”

Detective Fallon Roxbury has a big problem. A twenty-year old cold case turned hot threatens to expose his secret - shapeshifters exist and they’re living in Montgomery Circle under his protection.  Sundown has come into his own with his human lover by his side.  The status of his Clan rests on him and he’s determined to see his people prosper on this world owned by humans - without the humans knowing shapeshifters walk among them. Their relationship is tested as Fallon and Sundown race against the clock to find a kidnapped shapeshifter before the Clan takes matters into their own hands.  Because if they fail, Fallon knows his lover will be forced to stand with his people and act against him.  * * * “I’m concerned. That’s different. What happens if I get hurt and some doctor discovers weird little cells dancing around inside me?” Sundown sipped his coffee. He licked his full lips and took another drink. He was trying to stall me in the hopes I’d ask something else and give him the opportunity to bypass giving me an answer. I wasn’t going to allow him to get away with such a ploy, not this time. I waited. Sundown finally sighed. “It hasn’t happened yet, Fallon.” His answer didn’t surprise me. The Chal used every means at their disposal to protect themselves and the clan, whether or not we humans would approve their actions. “Here’s a news flash for you, lover. Forensic medicine has come a long way in a short time, and it’s possible today’s technology can detect those cells now.” Sundown sat up straight and twisted to stare at me. I saw Czun Dun Nhunfi, the pride of his clan, before me. His quick intelligence absorbed the information, considered the ramifications, and developed options. I stroked his smooth cheek with my knuckles and gave his words back to him, gently. “It hasn’t happened yet, darling. How many humans have you done this to?” His chin lifted. “You once accused me of using you as my science project. In this, you’re correct. The knowledge handed down to me said it was indeed possible to blend with a human in this way and thus know their thoughts. I needed to know if this were true.” “You’re avoiding giving me a number, Czun Dun Nhunfi.” “What was handed down said it was possible for those like me. My ancestors who were catalysts did this to gain knowledge of their captors. It is said without doing this, the Chal could not have escaped slavery on this world thousands of years ago.” If the folks at SETI only knew how right they were…and how late they were to the game.

Lieutenant Fallon Roxbury has a few secrets. His lover Sundown is a shapeshifter, and his entire Clan is under Fallon’s protection. He can usually handle the job but the universe has conspired to align a few unusual events. A body was found at the old rail yard where the shapeshifters once had a village, the clan’s nestlings are about to mature, and his lover and his police partner are suddenly behaving like best friends. When the clan elders confirm the identity of the murderer, Fallon has more trouble. The suspect is one of the city commissioners and the evidence points to him killing more than once. It’s up to Fallon to find legally admissible evidence to connect his cold case to the more recent murder. He’ll need some specialized help for that, the kind only Sundown can provide. Bit by bit Fallon gathers evidence, not only about the murders, but about the secrets Sundown has kept. It’s a sobering reminder that looks can be deceiving, and the shapeshifter he shares his life with isn’t human.  **** Sundown looked puzzled. “Was I not thorough?” “I think you did swell. Is the body all you found?” “Was a corpse not enough, Fallon?” I heard a note of wry disbelief in his voice. He’d been around me too long. “It was plenty. I’m just checking in case you noticed something Chal you didn’t want to mention to anyone else but me.” He set his soup aside and sighed. “I knew I should’ve conducted a more comprehensive search.” He went still, his eyes focused on something outside the room as he telepathically spoke to another of his kind. “I’ve instructed the Watchers to inspect the area.” “Oh, great. Now Klun and his minions will meddle with anything they find.” “No, they will not. I was very clear they should touch nothing without my permission, even if it is from before.” I knew it. He’d tried to hide it from me but our bond continued to deepen, growing stronger. I had sensed something, and while I knew it didn’t touch directly on me, he didn’t want me to know about it. “Before, huh? How about you explain that, shapeshifter.”