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

He wandered back to the window and gazed out at the buildings on the other side of the bridge. His master was in there somewhere. Nick wished he could see Todd, even for a few seconds. It didn’t matter if Todd wouldn’t know he was looking and they couldn’t talk. Scratching absently at the brand hidden by his tunic, Nick turned away from the window and let the curtain drop back into place.


A bell sounded, announcing it was dinnertime, and Nick was hungry. Besides, he needed to walk the grounds, learn where things were and find hiding places, should he or Todd need one. He’d have free run of all the common areas of the sanctuary. Only the slaves’ individual rooms were non-common areas. The dining area and attached main kitchen were in a separate building.


Chapter 20