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

“Take it off, Nick,” Todd ground out. He held his hand out, fingers jerking in a “give it here” movement.


Sniffing, Nick let his fingertips brush over the soft leather he loved so dearly, slowly pulling it around so that he could unbuckle it.


Maybe he was unwanted, but he didn’t want to give this up, too. He let his hands drop to rest on his lap. He couldn’t take off Todd’s collar.


After a moment, Todd’s hand dropped, and he spoke in a low, desperate voice. “The only person whose life here was ruined was yours, Nick. I turned you into a fugitive. You never did anything wrong. I have nothing left to give you, no home, nothing but what’s in that wagon—” Todd broke off, voice thickening, then continued in a hoarse whisper. “What the hell did you do that you think is so bad compared to that?”


Wiping the back of one hand over his nose, Nick stared at the ground as he spoke. “I—he—the kelbit, I tried not to…but he…You told me it was just us and you never…and—”


Chapter 69