Todd and Nick Ruger are on the run after narrowly escaping the war in New Colorado, where they were implicated in the assassination of Chancellor Shaffer. Todd is gravely ill and Nick has serious injuries, but that's the least of their problems. They're alone with dwindling supplies and facing the harsh winter bearing down on them far north in Yellowknife Protectorate. Just when it seems they're trapped between the proverbial rock and hard place, they are offered refuge with a doctor in the isolated town of Elk's Ridge. As they heal, they're offered a fresh start in Elk's Ridge. But just as they begin to rebuild their lives, tragedy strikes. Victor Raleigh, the new Vice-Chancellor of New Colorado, knows all about Nick's psychic abilities, and he'll settle for nothing less than total control over Nick. He's aligned himself with a vicious creature, a type of psychic vampire capable of wielding control over individuals such as Nick. When Nick is betrayed and captured, Todd sees no alternative but to head back into the war zone to rescue him. Will Nick be the same man Todd loves after Raleigh's pet psychic vampire is through with him? Can Nick accept the fact Todd can love him after what Raleigh forces him to do, or will his guilt consume and destroy him?

Chained Hearts

“More like I can look at someone and know if they aren’t what they claim to be, or so says Raleigh.”


“Yeah,” Nick sighed. “Like that.”


Nick would never cease to be amazed at the human mind. This Adam kid had no problem believing he could seethings before they happened, but let someone tell him supernatural creatures existed, and he blew off the idea without any consideration at all. Todd was right; it was simpler to let people believe those things were nothing but flights of fancy written down for entertainment. Unless the average person was confronted with the truth and had to deal with it directly, they tended to ignore it or chose to believe it didn’t exist.


“Most people don’t believe I can see stuff sometimes. You believe me?”


Massaging his throat for a few seconds, Nick nodded. “I believe you. The man with the green eyes, how far away is he?”


Chapter 46