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

Todd glanced to his right and couldn’t help smiling. She’d painted small stencils on her door of bunnies in a nest. “Where were you, exactly, when it first happened?”


Nadia spread her arms wide. “Right here. This spot.”


He paced from one side of the narrow hall to the other, looking at the floor, the walls, the ceiling, scrutinizing every inch of the area.


Shrugging, Todd barked a short laugh. “When I see it, I’ll tell you.” He ran the fingertips of one hand over the outer wall, squinted at it, and stepped a bit closer. “Like, what do you suppose this is?” He used one finger to trace a line from floor to ceiling.


Nadia rocked up on her toes and leaned over Todd’s shoulder. He felt her shrug. “A crack in the wall?”


Chapter 32