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

Nick scooted out of the wagon and handed the maps off to Todd. Nick’s master rifled through them for a minute before finding the one he wanted. Others were handed back to Nick. Todd unrolled it, crouched down, and spread the map on the ground. “New Colorado goes from the caldera all the way south to the Gulf. I’ve never been east. We can’t go south or west.” Todd jabbed at a point on the map, turned, and looked up at Nick. “How about we go north? Stick to the Rockies, plenty of food to hunt, the land is easier to defend. Thanks to a century or more of trade between us and Yellowknife Protectorate we use the same currency. So all this money will be good and no one will think anything of it.”


“There’re a few towns just over the border. You can stick closer that way,” Jimmy added.


“That was my thinking, too.” Todd stood and rolled the map up, handed it back to Nick. “Plenty of places to get lost in.” He turned back to Jimmy. “Thanks for grabbing our gear.”


Chapter 66