Once Awakened

Sleeper, book one in the Ozark Destinies series, introduces Mari Layton to a hidden world of vampires when her latent genetic code for the mutation is inadvertently tripped following a near fatal accident. As she deals with leaving her human life behind and the relationship with her benefactor, Troy Pontnoir, she finds herself conspiring with his rival to hasten her transformation and the development of supernatural abilities, including shapeshifting. Troy’s unwelcome obligation to assimilate and train Mari is challenged beyond having awakened her without permission of a mystery progenitor to whom her loyalty belongs, but if she’s discovered to be in an enemy clan, she may be taken from him and everything she holds dear.