Author Name: M. LeAnne Phoenix
Book Name: The Covenant
Series: Covenant Series
Book: One
Release
Date: January 15, 2016
Blurb:
When love is
forbidden, who can you trust?
Seventeen year old
David has been best friends with Jonathan for as long as he can remember, but
the day he sees the pastor's daughter press a soft kiss to Jonathan's cheek
everything changes. Overcome by jealousy, his explosive reaction reveals a
deeper connection that sends their relationship spiraling down into dangerous
territory.
When their
clandestine love is discovered, they have nowhere to turn for help. The brutal
circumstances of their parting test David and Jonathan's covenant to each other in unimaginable ways.
Forced to face their fears, it is in their darkest moments that the two young
men discover that the courage, hope, and strength they need to to fight for
their love, has been the foundation of their covenant all along.
Pages or Words: 280 pages, 71,000 words
Categories: Gay fiction, M/M Romance, New
Adult, Poetry, Romance
Excerpt:
David opened his locker to get out his
Biology, History, and Music History books and shoved them into his backpack,
swallowing hard against the lump in his throat. Jonathan’s comforting hand lit
on David’s side as he came to lean on the locker to the right of David’s own,
holding up in one paint-besmeared hand, a small piece of black cardboard. On
it, David saw symbols, ones he thought might be Greek. Remembering the foreign
exchange student from Thessaloniki shared Jonathan’s sixth period art class, he
smiled and turned to his boyfriend as he took the proffered gift.
“What does it say?” David couldn’t help
but smile at the joy lighting Jonathan’s eyes. “This has to be something that
Kallias helped you make—”
“You aren’t wrong,” Jonathan interjected.
“That is Greek writing and Kallias even taught me how to say it.”
“Enlighten me, please!” David rasped,
focusing wholly on Jonathan’s gift. “Say it and then tell me what it means.”
“If I say it right, it’s agape menomou—”
David furrowed his brow,
repeating, “A guppy man oh moo?”
Jonathan slid down the
locker in a giggle. “Noooo! I must have said it wrong because your face… oh my
gosh, your face!”
Blushing and biting his
lower lip, David sank down to his haunches in front of Jonathan. “Then say it
again, slower, and tell me what it means!”
Jonathan looked around,
and seeing no-one in their locker bank, leaned up to whisper the Greek in his
ear, the sounds slower… thicker. “Agape
menomou means O love of my heart.”
Halley’s Comet
“Crash”
By: M.
LeAnne Phoenix
The third time started during a
fire drill. The school was almost completely evacuated when Travis jerked his
arm, nodding towards the parking lot. Jonathan arched an eyebrow, asking, “You
want to skip school?”
He glanced over at Chad, who
stepped closer to them, saying quietly, “Tomorrow’s a teacher in-service day.
Ain’t none of ’em gonna give us a test today. Let’s go hang out at Travis’
house, have a beer, watch some football.”
“I can’t. Who would be here to
watch out for David?” Jonathan scanned the crowd, looking for a beloved gold
head.
Travis laughed. “He’ll be watched
out for, Shea. You got my word.”
“How?” Jonathan demanded to know,
but his friends took hold of his arms and backed out of the crowd to join the
others in the student parking lot. Once they got to his car, Travis grinned at
him, calling over his shoulder, “Follow me to my house!”
Jonathan rolled his eyes,
unlocking his door and opening it only to stop dead in his tracks. David laid
stretched out across the seat, his head propped on the palm of one hand.
Jonathan shook his head, unable to fight the pull of his heart. Getting into
the car, Jonathan reached for his boyfriend, elated when strong fingers grabbed
both sides of his jacket and yanked him down for a hard kiss. David’s hoarse
words struck Jonathan’s heart as those incredible blue eyes found his amber
ones and held them captive, “I feel so lost… so adrift… without you. I need you.”
A horn honking lifted Jonathan’s
spirits, and his lips in a wicked grin. “Wanna be bad?”
David’s shiny lips curled in a
lazy smile. “I only ever wanna be bad with you.”
Stealing another kiss, Jonathan
sat up and nodded at Travis as he jammed the key into the ignition, turning
over the engine. Glancing down at David, he whispered, “Stay down.”
David nodded, playing with his
hair as he watched Jonathan. “I can’t believe we’re actually living a Romeo and
Juliet kind of life, can you?”
“No,” Jonathan groused, following
Travis and Chad. “I really can’t. We’ve never been parted like this before and
I swear to you, babe, I will never
let something like this happen to us again.”
“Remember the kisses at
Wesleyan?” David shifted in his seat, carefully wriggling until he’d completely
switched ends and leaned his gold head against Jonathan’s leg. “I’ve been
thinking about that night with you so much these past few weeks.”
Jonathan slid his hand into
David’s warm hair as his smile grew wider. “I keep thinking about falling asleep
with you, our bodies still slick from lovemaking, and I can feel your heart
pounding next to mine.”
David pressed a kiss to
Jonathan’s leg, rubbing it with one hand. “I can’t wait until the day you never
have to take me home.”
Jonathan sighed. “Me, either.
Looks like we’re almost to Cap’s house.” He ran his fingers through David’s
hair as they pulled into Travis’ driveway. The four of them exited the vehicles
and hurried into the house. Minutes later, Jonathan laid David back on the
couch in Travis’ media room and tugged a blanket over them as he fell into his
arms. He knew he couldn’t stop kissing David if his life depended on it… and
when it naturally progressed into a powerful lovemaking, Jonathan memorized the
feel of their bodies sliding against each other, the taste of David’s tongue, the
friction caused by David’s dick rocking against his own.
“David—please—”
“I’m here—oh, please don’t stop!”
Jonathan pressed his face into
the crook of David’s neck, biting down as he sped up his pace… and seconds later,
lost in an ever-deepening kiss as David cried out in his mouth. His boyfriend’s
nails dug into his hip and back as he arched, breaking the kiss to gasp as he
hit hard. His tremors became Jonathan’s own as release neared and Jonathan
clung to David as sacrosanctum crashed over them—
Day Before
Thanksgiving
Jonathan tugged his knees up to
his chest, holding close the precious gift given to him at school. He’d started
to pour through it the second it had been transferred to his hands via the Mail
Drop. Chad, like both their coach and Jonathan’s mother, had noticed Jonathan’s
weight loss, and decided he and Travis had to help. They created a Mail Drop
using Travis’ locker (he shared Chad’s on the second floor since most of his
classes were on the second floor). After lunch, Chad spent much of his time on
the third floor, so he’d check his locker for Jonathan’s morning love letters
and put a book or two in there to cover the pick-up. He’d pass the letters to
David in the halls and by the end of the day, Jonathan would have his replies.
David’s written words and poetry
were all that really sustained him since Elisha had told Jonathan’s dad about
the last time. Everything in his life had become affected since that trust had
been severed: his grades were slipping, his guitar sat on its stand collecting
dust, and his appetite left entirely. Disallowed the privilege of driving the
Suburban, his mother now picked him up from school, but he made no conversation
on the drive and from the moment he arrived home, Jonathan made a home in the
silent dark. He showered by the light from the bathroom window, then went to
his room and laid down on his bed, and he never joined them at the table. He
didn’t sleep well, and oftentimes when he did find rest, his dreams centered on
David and ended in a nightmare made up of his worst fear: David always died at
the end.
Jonathan was never able to get to
him in time, always reaching him as he took his last breath.
Closing his eyes, he focused on
the words given him that day, unaware at first that his door opened. His
mattress shook, and Jonathan lifted his head to see Cody crawling onto his bed.
Reaching an arm out, Jonathan gathered his little brother close, kissing his
blonde head.
“Mama and Daddy fighting?”
Jonathan asked Cody, who nodded.
“I’m sorry, little brother. This
is all my fault… all of it.” Jonathan sniffled, ruffling Cody’s hair. “I wish I
could fix me, make me better, but—”
“You wouldn’t have David if you
did that, and you know it. That’s not septical, Jonny.” Cody rolled onto his
side to face his big brother. “You and David would be torture-ified. It’s not
right and it’s not fair. You just love him like Mama loves Dad. How’s that
bad?” Cody pushed his face into Jonathan’s chest, breaking down into tears.
“What if Dad hates me because I end up liking a boy?” he whimpered.
Jonathan curled around Cody,
tears for his brother mixing into the tears he cried for himself and David. Cody
was right: it wasn’t acceptable to feel this way. Not for him, and definitely not
for his little brother. He held Cody tightly, pushing his own face into the
boy’s shoulder, whispering, “Dad could never hate you, Cody. Nobody could. It’s
like Dave says all the time, you’re the stuff sunshine’s made of!”
“He also says that you’re the bee’s
knees, baby boy,” their mother said from the door, a smile on her face. “It’s
because my boys are the best and most wonderfulest people in the whole world.”
Cody launched himself from the
bed into her arms and Abby caught him, rocking him as she shushed and reassured
him. “Love my Cody-bug. Ain’t nobody ever going to be able to not love my
Cody-bug.”
“Love you, too, Mama!” Cody
tugged his head from her neck to say something, and Abby took the opportunity
to cover his face in kisses, making him giggle, the familiar mirth his mother
elicited from his little brother giving Jonathan’s heart a lift.
“Whyn’t you go get your shoes on
and I’ll get your brother up and we’ll go get an early dinner and dessert from
Stardust?” Abby suggested, both she and Jonathan startling at the squeal of
excitement bursting from the wriggling boy in her arms. She laughed as he ran
to his room a moment later and she moved across the room to sit down on the
edge of Jonathan’s bed. “Baby boy… my heart hurts as I watch you stumble through
each day, and I know your pain is raw, but Jonathan, you have to start eating. You can’t keep doing this to yourself. It’s
not good for you and how does it
benefit David if you weaken yourself?”
Jonathan shifted in his bed, putting
his head in Abby’s lap. “Don’t we have church tonight?”
“Don’t change the subject on me.
Your dad is going to a deacon’s meeting, but I have pies to make for
Thanksgiving tomorrow. If you remember, your cousins and aunt and uncle are
coming tomorrow afternoon.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “I want you
to ponder on a message I came across during my daily devotion this morning,
okay, baby?”
He nodded against her leg. “Yes,
Mama.”
Her voice softened as she
murmured words of hope from Paul the Apostle. “Second Corinthians 4:16-18 is
its physical address for your reference later. Paul has this to say about hope
in his letters to the Corinthians: Therefore
we do not lose heart. Outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly, we are
renewed each day. For our light and momentary troubles achieve for us an
eternal glory which far outweighs them all. We fix our eyes not on what is
seen, but on what is unseen, since what can be seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal.”
“He’s not talking about love,
Mama. He’s talking about Christ—”
“Jonathan Abraham Shea, he’s
talking about struggle, about pain like you’ve never known—pain like yours—and
he’s saying that it will get better.
Don’t lose hope. This isn’t the end. This house arrest won’t last forever—”
Jonathan lifted his face, looking
up at Abby. “Mama, he said ‘my son will never
date another boy.’ I do believe he’s thinking about making it last forever.” He
sighed heavily. “I didn’t even get to see David on my birthday. Heck, he
wouldn’t even let me have a birthday party for my one and only eighteenth
birthday.” Jonathan laughed, but the sound held no joy. “I didn’t even get a
birthday card from him. I mean, I guess I should be grateful that he remembered
to wish me happy birthday when he dropped me off at school that day.”
She cupped his face. “What do I
always tell you, baby? What do I always say when things get rough?”
“This, too, shall pass. You always say it’s from the Word, and I
always tell you that Confucius said it,” Jonathan answered, blinking back
tears.
“Whoever said it, baby boy, it’s
true. It won’t always be like this. It won’t always hurt so bad that you think
you won’t withstand it, because if you and David are meant like I think you
are, like you think you are, like he thinks you are—if you are, then you’ll look
back at this dark time and you’ll realize then
how strong I know you to be now.” Her
dark eyes searched his amber ones. “How strong he knows you’ve always been.” She smiled, pushing his hair over his
ears. “Can I point something out to you?”
Jonathan nodded.
“Ever wonder why David wanted to
change his eye color to the one you told me?” Abby smiled softly, tracing his
ear with a fingertip.
“All the time. I can’t understand
why he’d wanna change that gorgeous blue to anything else. It’s still my
favorite color,” Jonathan answered, his voice hoarse.
“I’ll tell you why, baby, and
it’s going to blow your mind.” Abby pressed a kiss to his temple as she pulled
him into her arms. “Because your eyes—the ones you got from your
grandpa—they’re his favorite color.
He wanted to see the world through your eyes.”
Jonathan pushed his face into her
soft chest as the pain became too much for him to contain, and he broke a
little more. Abby held him tightly, whispering, “I know she’s not your favorite
singer, baby boy, but the girls at work listen to her album all the time—Sheryl
Crow? They played this song today, and it was called “I Shall Believe”. I
bought the album on the way home from work just so you could listen to the
words.” Pulling back to look at his face, tears slipped down her own cheeks.
“Oh, baby… hold on for me. Just a bit longer. I have faith that He doesn’t give
us more than we can handle. I have faith that you are strong enough to weather
this, and I have faith that David can weather this storm with you.”
Jonathan sniffled, dragging the
heels of his hands over his eyes. “I will listen to it and Mama, I’ll do
better. I promise.”
Tuesday Night Music Club would remain forever the only Sheryl Crow
album Jonathan would ever own, and only two songs on the album would ever be
played. “Strong Enough” would be David’s song for him later on, but “I Shall
Believe” was Jonathan’s song for the remainder of the time they were kept
apart.
Buy the book:
Meet the author:
M. LeAnne
Phoenix would tell you that the worst time of her life was the two years that
she attempted to take off from writing. If you asked her to explain exactly why
she did such a thing, you would most likely get the mad attempt to arch an
eyebrow like her dad and then a shake of the head as she told you it was
unlucky to speak of such things. Suffice it to say, it will never happen again!
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas in the
mid-1970's, Ms. Phoenix was young and wild (and even free!) during the crazy
wondrous decade known as the 1980's and the even crazier but now grungy decade
of the 1990's. Music is second only to the muses that live and breathe to fill
her mind with beautiful men, and music always helps them to tell their stories.
She is never without her iPod or her computer no matter where she goes,
although, she does like to hike and take pictures of the sky and the moon, and
even the occasional shot of the sun through the branches of a tree.
An avid cat lover, Ms. Phoenix has been owned by
many throughout her life, though her current owner is one Lily-Rose, who really
would like for her to step away from the keyboard and pay her some attention!
After all, hasn't she earned it?
Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mleannephoenix
Twitter: @MLPhoenix
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mleannephoenix/
Website: www.mleannephoenix.com
Goodreads
Link: www.goodreads.com/mleannephoenix
Publisher: CoolDudes Publishing
Cover
Artist: Kellie Dennis
Rafflecopter Prize: A signed print copy of 'The Covenant'
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment