Release (The Protector Book 3)

The Protector Book 3

Release

Written by M.R. Merrick

The Protector - Book 3 - Release

By M.R.Merrick

© 2012 M.R. Merrick

Kindle Edition

ISBN: 978-0-9877262-6-1

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2012 – M.R. Merrick

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, without the express written permission of the author. For further information please contact the author at [email protected]

Cover design by M.R. Merrick

Cover artwork by Julija Lichman © 2012

This is a work of fiction. The characters, locations, and events herein are used fictitiously as an article of the author’s imagination. Any names or references to locations, events or persons, either living or deceased, are purely coincidental.

Kindle Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For Elena

You inspire my imagination, you personify innocence, and your laughter guides me on the darkest of days. You are magical. You are beautiful. You are my last unicorn.

Acknowledgments

This book is something completely different for me. It’s emotional in a way nothing I’ve ever written has been. To say thank you to the people who helped make it possible just doesn’t seem like enough, but I’m going to try.

I want to start by thanking my wife, Cherry. You are beyond amazing. And to my family, thank you. You know how much this all means to me, and you’ve stood by me through everything. You picked up the slack when I had to write, and you carried me through difficult times. This book and this series would not exist if it wasn’t for you. Your love and support keeps my passion alive.

To my friend
Val from Stuck In Books
, you’ve been a blessing throughout this entire story. You supported me, cheered me on, and have done an incredible amount for me and this series. Between promotion, your kind words, and your time, I’m lucky to have you on my team. You’re as passionate about these books and these characters as I am, and I hope one day I can repay your kindness. You are an incredible individual and I feel honored to know you.

To my editor
Kara Malinczak
, the time and effort you put into this novel was remarkable. As always, you helped me smooth out the bumps and keep the story on point. Your enthusiasm for my books shows in the work you’ve done and it breathes new life into the characters. Thank you for all your dedication.

And to my copy editor
Amanda Shofner of Language Management
, you are amazing. You do so much more than clean up a manuscript, I don’t even know where to begin. You make my words shine, and you give me revitalized confidence in the stories I’m telling. You inspire me, you encourage me, you support me, and you’re my friend. Thank you, not only for all the hard work you’ve put into this book, but for everything that has preceded it.

Special thanks to Jason Pitt and Tim Jeffcoat for helping me get everything polished. You worked with a tight timeline, and you delivered wonderfully.

To my readers, I am humbled by and gracious for the kindness of your words. The passion you share with me about my novels, the e-mails and messages you send me, and the reviews you leave of my books inspire me. It pushes me to be better, to work harder, and to ensure I deliver something worthy of your time. To you, and everyone who has supported me, or contributed in any way to The Protector series, thank you. I am forever in your debt, and I truly hope you enjoy this story.

Chapter 1

His power surged and slammed me into the wall. A bright light flashed over my eyes from the impact and I broke into a run, the concrete sliding beneath my feet. As he flexed his magic, his air element wrapped itself around a chair and pitched it through the air like a homing missile with me as its target. I took cover behind a concrete pillar and the chair shattered against it, splinters scattering across the floor.

Power churned inside my body, water and fire pulsing through my veins in an icy flare. Spheres of magic formed in my palms as beads of sweat ran down my brow. I took a deep breath, centering my focus.

I spun out from behind the column, red and blue magic drifting behind me like a comet’s tail. My elements shuddered and heat from the flame swirled as I pulled back my right arm, launching the flame forward. A stream of fire snapped through the air towards him.

Shadows coiled around him, blending his body with the darkness. Another element pulsed, but this time it wasn’t mine. It was heavy, powerful, and smothering. His magic submerged me, forcing me to tighten my chest. I thrashed against the power, gasping for air while I tried to break its hold, and my flames flickered, then died.

The fire and water receded and another element rose inside me. My own air element twisted through my body and pushed his power back, allowing me room to breathe.

Magic rumbled inside me as I called more elements to my aid. The ground moved in a violent quake and my earth element rattled the walls.

His body stumbled and his focus broke. As his element faded, I tore the water back up from that place deep inside my soul. Cold power chilled my body and burst towards him.

A ball of ice shot across the room, shattering against his chest. Crystals of frozen magic sparkled and rained like diamonds to the ground. The shadows collapsed around him, vanishing back to the corners of the room, and Marcus dropped to the ground.

Silence wafted through the room and I crept forward, awaiting his reaction, but he was hardly moving. His massive form lay on the floor, his chest rising and falling. I noticed a layer of sweat glistening off his dark skin as I inched closer. The black shirt that hugged his muscular form was smeared with white dust, and my crystalized magic littered the concrete around him.

“Marcus?” I asked.

He took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re…getting much faster.” His face twisted as he propped himself up on his elbows.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to go all out.”

“Don’t be. That’s kind of the point of training, right?”

“I guess.”

“Are you boys done playing yet?” Rayna stood behind us with crossed arms. Dark jeans hugged her long legs, revealing toned thighs before disappearing into knee-high fur boots. A red tank top embraced her curves, revealing smooth pale skin. Her raven hair was pinned up, her slender neck exposed, leaving red strands to frame her face. “People are starting to show up for the meeting, and Eric’s about to lose it…again.”

“What happened this time?” Marcus asked.

“I think Tiki tried to say hello.”

Marcus sighed. “I’ll be right there.”

I reached out and pulled Marcus to his feet. He dusted the crystals off his chest and smiled. “That was a good session. How do you feel?”

“I feel good. It’s you I’m worried about. I think maybe you’re getting too old for this.”

Marcus laughed but quickly silenced it and narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see. Next time I won’t be going easy on you.”

“Now that’s funny.”

“Who’s joking?” Marcus asked. “I better go deal with this.”

Rayna stared at me and I shook my head. “He wasn’t going easy on me. He’s kidding.”

Rayna nodded. “Sure.”

“No really, he was kidding, right?”

Rayna laughed and followed after Marcus.

“Rayna, don’t play with me. Tell me he was joking.”

******

“I don’t care whose side you’re on. You pull a stunt like that again and I’ll slit your throat!” I recognized the voice and pushed open the door to the meeting room.

Eric, the leader of a small group of rogue hunters based out of Maine, had his hand wrapped around Tiki’s throat, pinning him against a table. Chairs were scattered across the floor and veins bulged from his swollen arms. A mid-sized blade pushed against Tiki’s face, threatening to split his caramel skin.

Willy stood beside Eric, trying to pry back his blade-wielding arm, but it wouldn’t budge. “Com—come on, Eric. You know Tiki didn’t me—mean it like that.”

“Get off me, you filthy mutt!” Eric threw his elbow back, cracking it against Willy’s face. I leaped forward, but Rayna grabbed my shoulder and held me back.

Willy fell to the floor but quickly recovered to his feet, rubbing the side of his face.

Anger flooded my senses and I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I’d only met Eric twice, but I already disliked him. This wasn’t helping his case.

“Eric, I already apologized. I am unsure what more I can to do quell your anger. I am Tikimicharnikato of the Suriattas Clan. I am your friend, you know this.”

“I ain’t friends with no demon. Not now, not ever. Out of respect for Marcus, I’ve let you live, but you’re walking a fine line.”

“I do not wish to do battle with you. I merely came to greet you.” Tiki’s demeanor was calm as he stared up at Eric with his bright orange eyes.

“Again, Eric? Really? We’ve been through this.” Marcus said.

Eric’s forehead creased above his unruly eyebrows as his blue gaze found Marcus’s. “Oh no, this isn’t getting put on me. Not this time. One of your stupid pets tried to sneak up on me.”

“I did not mean to scare you. I only—”

“Scare me? Ha! You didn’t scare me. You—”

“That’s enough, Eric.” Marcus’ voice was loud but even.

“It’s enough when I say it is.” Eric’s jaw clenched. “I know you like to play in the gray areas, Marcus, but I don’t. I’ve respected your position so far and I expect you to do the same for me. I sure as hell won’t stand for these things creeping up on me.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a bit unreasonable here?” Marcus asked.

“Forcing us to work with these demons is what’s unreasonable. It’s going to get us all killed.”

Eric was shorter than Marcus and not as thick, but he was full of rage. His hairy arms were covered in faded tattoos and his long black hair curled at the end of a ponytail. An unkempt beard covered his face and matched his wild eyebrows.

“We need everyone we can get. You know that. We cannot waste any more time on these petty differences.”

Eric took a long breath, his eyes fixed on Tiki. The muscles in his face flexed and his teeth ground together. “Fine.” He pushed himself off Tiki and slid the long blade back into his hip sheath. “But your trust in these…things is discomforting. I’ll tell you this, when push comes to shove, you better have my back before theirs.”

Rayna and I were a few feet back from them, and as they spoke to each other, I leaned towards her. “What is it with this guy?” I whispered.

“Eric doesn’t like demons much. Or people, for that matter.”

“You’ve known him for a while, right? How does he put up with you?”

Rayna’s lips shined with a thin layer of gloss and her hands touched my chest. She gripped my shirt, pulling me closer, and the red strands of hair that framed her face danced along my skin as she leaned into me. Pressing herself against me, her lips brushed my ear, causing my pulse to race.

“Because just like you,” she whispered, her warm breath rolling over my skin, “he knows how hard I can hit.” Rayna’s fist jabbed into me, her knuckles finding the sweet spot between two ribs.

I coughed and forced myself to remain upright instead of keeling over like my body was demanding. Rayna smirked and turned away, swaying her hips dramatically as her knee-high boots tapped against the floor. She picked up one of the fallen chairs and fell into it with a feline’s grace.