Todd Ruger is a sentry, a very good one, some might say the best. He was eleven when he and Nick were bound as master and slave. Todd spent the years Nick lived in the slave village waiting for the day Nick could leave and they’d be together, bit by bit building a life for both of them. He took his role of master seriously. It was his responsibility to provide for Nick, protect him and along the way he learned to love him. Todd loved Nick deeply and completely. They were more than a pair of sentries. Todd and Nick were friends, lovers, mates.<br><br>Eighteen months ago, Nick left the small village where he’d spent his entire life being raised and trained as a slave. Blessed with a unique skill set, Nick became a sentry. He took his place beside his master, Todd Ruger, defending society against the many paranormal threats that abound. They became more than master and slave, they became mates. Nick had found a home with Todd and together they became a family. Eventually, Nick’s special abilities and skills attract the attention of the second most powerful man in New Colorado Protectorate’s government, Vice Chancellor Clarke. Or, maybe certain people knew of Nick all along and just now had cause to use him. He believes Nick might be the answer to explaining Chancellor Shaffer’s sudden, unusual behavior.<br><br>Forced to go undercover the Chancellor’s Estate, Todd and Nick discover an ancient and deadly creature preying on residents of the estate. The same creature that is radically effecting Chancellor Shaffer. A creature only Nick can see in its true form. It hunts using specialized skills and has Todd and Nick in its crosshairs. Even if they defeat the creature and survive, they still face the possibility of being torn from each other when their lives are thrown into chaos by the thing they’re hunting.

Together Bound

The way Nick was lying was exactly what he’d done that second time, when he’d convinced Todd to tie him up. Todd moved silently across the room and took a knife from one of his duffels. He snatched the towel off the floor and sliced it into five strips. He replaced the knife, crossed to the bed, and very quietly and gently pulled the pillows away from Nick’s head before moving one of Nick’s arms up and securing that wrist to the slats on the bed frame. When Nick didn’t so much as hitch a breath, Todd eased the other arm into a similar position and tied that.


Next, he slid Nick’s legs as far apart as possible and tied them to the bed. The final strip of cloth he worked across Nick’s face, blindfolding him. Glancing around the room, Todd smiled broadly when he spotted the pillows he’d tossed on the floor. Smile becoming positively wicked, Todd took a pillow and worked the stitching loose along one corner


Chapter 11