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

Still, Nick couldn’t help the voice niggling at him from some dark place of his mind—his master would never forgive his indiscretions.


His thoughts bounced back and forth. One second Nick was preparing himself to be cast aside; the next his inner voice convinced him there was nothing to worry over. Arms and legs getting heavier, Nick relaxed minutely on the mattress. The fact Todd hadn’t come back within a few minutes didn’t surprise Nick. He was, after all, “on duty,” and Nick knew Todd had to keep up the pretense of the job he used as cover. Nick had the fleeting thought Todd might go after the creature alone but dismissed it. The bulk of their supplies was here in the room with Nick. Since Nick had come to live with Todd, his master had never hunted any of the supernatural beings they tracked alone. In fact, the only things Todd had gone after by himself had been the men who branded Nick.


Chapter 53