to think about what could have happened to you.”
He was lying. She could tell by the rhythmic upset in his heartbeat. He didn’t give a damn about her. Only the money. She knew better, but couldn’t help it. Staring him down, she pushed one thought that would save her from him. Kill yourself. Kill yourself. Kill yourself.
Something warm and sticky dripped off her lip as she pushed. Her vision grayed, but she pushed more. With all her strength, she pushed again. Just. Fucking die. Already.
She fought to keep her eyes open to see him fall. She had to see it before the looming darkness took over. Needed to see him go. Instead he turned around and glared at her as if trying to dissect an insect.
“What are you doing to me, Cassie?” He bellowed. “I can feel—something.” He frowned. “What are you doing? I demand you stop before you damage yourself.”
But she didn’t stop. She just kept on pushing. At least she would go out swinging.
As if Peter knew she was somehow defying him, he inclined his head. “You see Cassie, you don’t get it. I’m stronger than you. You need instruction and training to be strong. And I will give that to you. Don’t worry. You’ll learn to adjust.” He motioned for one of the men flanking Reynolds. “Shoot him.”
The guard didn’t hesitate. Reynolds didn’t even have time to react. The man to his left pulled his gun from his holster, put the muzzle to Reynolds’s temple and pulled the trigger.
Cassie’s silent scream filled her head as she lost her battle with consciousness. Before the darkness took over she made herself one vow. You will pay with your life, Peter. One day I will escape, and when I do, I’ll kill you.
Reluctant Protector
The Protectors Series
Book One
by
Nana Malone
Copyright 2012 Nana Malone
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Reluctant Protector
COPYRIGHT © 2011 by Nana Malone
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Cover Art by Kimberly Killion
Edited by Mystical Press
Published in the United States of America
Chapter One
Frigid cold settled into Cassie Reeser’s bones. She lost track of how long she’d been in her brother’s Sensory Chamber. More than three days certainly. Maybe a week. Maybe more. Peter never ceased dreaming up ways to punish her. The acrid smell of antiseptic filled her nostrils. In her chamber, an elevated stationary palette occupied the center of the room and a commode lurked in the corner. No desk and no light, except for the overhead fluorescents. Not even a blanket. Nice and homey.
Sometimes Peter pumped extreme heat into the chamber. Sometimes extreme cold. Right now the temperature hovered around sixty degrees. But the earlier chill made her mind lethargic and her muscles ache. Usually, to stave off hypothermia, she had to keep moving.
Peter never understood that the more he tried to break her, the more she would fight. Even as she lay on the hard slab of her palette, her muscles were coiled and ready for her next chance at escape. Someone was coming for her.
In the distance, the suction of the air lock reverberated against the barren walls. She wasn’t supposed to hear anything outside the lead-lined chamber, but as usual, her brother underestimated her abilities. If she calmed her mind, she could pinpoint the guards’ voices in the lobby of Gentech labs. As footsteps and a rapidly thudding heartbeat approached the door to the Sensory Chamber, Cassie closed her eyes. Please don’t let it be Peter.
It was either Peter or one of the Trackers. An involuntary shudder stole up her back. The last time the Trackers came for her, they came armed with Nisulin guns and shot rounds into the chamber before she could fight back. She didn't want a repeat of that experience. The milky green liquid that filled their bullets hurt like hell and stripped her of her powers, but at least they weren’t fatal. But one day, Cassie knew, they’d switch to lead bullets. She had to be long gone before that happened.
The grate of metal on metal of the outside door made her clench her hands into tight fists. Could she fight them today? Was she strong enough? But