Protected by the Damned BoxedSet 1

by Michael Todd

  (At this time, I had NO idea how different her Romance writing was different from my Sci-Fi / Paranormal series writing business.)

  Anyway, fast forward to November of 2017, and we saw each other at another Indie Author event in Las Vegas (20Booksto50k.) There, we both decided to work together on as many projects as we could.

  She left, I left, and things simmered down as we both ‘cleared the decks’ of projects we had to do.

  Then, later in November, Laurie and her husband Jacob drove up to Dallas where I was at the time and she and I worked on a new IP Universe (her core Universe that I was given a chance to engage and support. Since our company works on a LOT of collaborations, we were also able to advise in areas Laurie’s company wasn’t working at that time. More on 7Sons in Laurie’s Author Notes.)

  We met again on hers, ours, and my skunkworks projects in December, and then again in Las Vegas in February.

  Laurie and her people are fucking amazing.

  ONLY because of Laurie’s collaboration support, have I been able to bring out the Michael Todd stories here in March. If it wasn’t for her? Yeah, we wouldn’t have these at all I don’t think.

  In addition, I want to thank Jude Beers for AMAZING work bringing Katie Maddison to 3D life. I’ll update you in book 02 Author Notes about our artwork efforts with Jude and Lauren.

  I hope to see you in book 02!

  (If you want to support this series, just leave a review on Amazon – that will be a BIG help as we move forward!)

  Ad Aeternitatem,

  Michael Todd (Anderle)

  Author Notes - Laurie Starkey

  March 11, 2018

  And to follow up Mike and his brilliant personality is always the hardest part of my day… *cheeky grin*

  I’ve been blessed to be invited into the world of Michael Anderle and all of his partners, characters, and friends. It’s given me a fresh spark with my own writing and helped align some of my own goals, thanks to our friendship, first, and partnership, second.

  I started writing in 2010 for the first time. A moment of clarity maybe? Providence? I’m not sure. I just knew after reading my whole life (winning several nerd-worthy awards in Junior High as the kid who read the most that year) that I wanted to construct a story that wooed people, or at least made their hearts race a little.

  A getaway. A mini-vacation. A moment of reprieve from life when it’s sometimes less than pleasant. Books are good companions like that.

  I was a CPA on the trek to partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers at the time, but I figured as a lifelong manic (someone who tries to fill most moments of the day with something productive), writing a book would be a fun challenge for me.

  I wrote a Young Adult Greek Myth fantasy in a month, at night, after fifteen hours a day in auditing. I fell in love with it. A hundred thousand words later, I typed some of my favorite words, “The End.” And there began a new creation in me.

  After getting rejected about ten million times by publishers and agents (ok, like a hundred times, but still), I threw the manuscript in a drawer and muttered, “I don’t need this shit. I’m a mathematician.”

  And I moved on, dabbling in RPG and writing circles more for fun than anything else. It wasn’t until a friend reached out in 2014 and said that a group of my old critique circle friends were writing romance and making as much as I was as a twelve-year CPA.

  No damn way. Not a chance.

  But… it was true. I prayed about it, made a few adjustments in my life, and quit my six-figure job cold turkey on November 22, 2014, damned and determined to make stories for the rest of my life, or at least facilitate making them with partners and collaborators, if nothing else.

  Almost three and a half years later, I’d penned 130 stories, 6.5 million words, and put out books in the romance, fantasy, young-adult, middle grade, mystery/suspense, and Christian fiction genres. I’ve grown three companies related to production and authoring books, and to say we’re a little tired would be a laughable understatement–but we’re blessed.

  My dream when I started was to have a team of people I could feed into, to make their lives better if at all possible. I’d say we’re doing that. With ten full-time employees and 40+ contractors, we get notes daily about the difference we’re making in people’s work lives, as well as the notes from the fans.

  It’s been an honor to go it alone all these years, but Mike coming into the picture, along with a few other perfectly placed partners, has made the next leg of the journey one I’m ready for. Torn Asunder was a dream child of Mike’s, and when I listened to the details, I laughed heartily and enjoyed spit-balling away in the high rise we holed up in together in Vegas for a long week of meetings.

  Meetings over making shit up and getting paid to do it. Crazy life, I tell you.

  But it’s not without work. I swear we put in more hours and sweat harder now than I ever did in my corporate America climb. And yet, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

  Mike took the lead on this project, and I helped push and work out the story. I, in turn, took the lead in our Seven Sons project that he’s alluded too a few times here and there.

  My goal in 2018 was to help ten indie authors with their writing or marketing or whatever the hell they needed my team, my resources, or my help with. They’re hard-working, brilliant storytellers, but most of them are not selling stories, but writing on the side and working one to two other jobs. I wanted to help with that.

  Seven Sons was my way of doing it. Mike came alongside me in the project and helped me put the pieces together, dream up the stories one by one, and offered his team, knowledge, and support too, in order to get us off the ground as a team. I’m happy to say that seven of the best writers (and friends) that I know are busy at work behind the scenes to bring you a series that pulls at Urban Fantasy and Fantasy alike.

  At the beginning of time, God created seven species. Pure-bloods who were meant to rule the four dimensions with peace and benevolence, but these boys were special. Very special. Unfortunately, with all things, when emotion enters the scene and moves into the story, the path we were created for is usually the least likely you’ll find us following.

  The angels, the vampires, the shifters, the mages, the hunters, the elves, and the fae will all have series in a shared multi-dimensional world, and the journey begins late fall, 2018. Mike and I spend hours and hours creating the derivative story that plays out underneath all seven series, and we hope like hell that the world takes on a life of its own and we change a hundred authors’ lives through our new creation.

  But that’s a goal for another time. For now, thank you for reading Torn Asunder. There’s more goodness to come for Katie and Pandora, but if you know Mike, you knew that already.

  Enjoy and know that you’re changing lives, too, by picking up one of our books. We appreciate you, your interest and support, and for choosing to spend your hard-earned dollars on our stories. Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! They matter so much more than you think.

  And lastly, if you take nothing else from this note, just remember, in the words of a famous (still living as best I know at the moment) scholar: “You can't keep a wicked man down... Unless you over-carb his ass, then he sleeps like the snoring hippopotamus he really is.”

  Break out the double crusted pie and deep-dish pizza. The wicked need taming–obviously.

  Slave to many stories,

  Laurie Starkey

  Killing Is My Business

  Killing Is My Business

  Chapter One

  Korbin stood in the kitchen, grasping the warm mug tightly in his hands.

  He was staring off, not thinking about anything in particular—just feeling more worn out than usual.

  It had been a long several months, and a lot had happened. Between losing Armani and saying goodbye to Garrett, the house was a whole lot quieter than normal. Life had gone on, just like it had when he was in the military and lost a soldier. In his own head, though, he couldn’t ever ge
t over losing someone, especially not on his watch.

  He was down to four: Katie, Calvin, Damian, and Derek. That wasn’t enough to keep the three states he was in charge of safe and secure from the flesh-eating bastards hell-bent on turning Vegas into a fucking human buffet.

  “Hey, boss,” Calvin said, walking in and interrupting his thoughts. “You about ready to get going?”

  “Going?” Korbin’s eyes narrowed, still slightly foggy.

  “Yeah.” Calvin chuckled. “We are meeting our new potential recruits today, remember?”

  “Oh, sure, sure,” Korbin said. “Sorry, didn’t sleep well last night. I feel like I’m still waking up.”

  “You sleep?” Calvin scratched his chin. “We think you don’t. I have fifty big ones down that you are pretending to sleep so we humans think better of ourselves.”

  Korbin looked at Calvin. “Fifty large?”

  “What?” Calvin was shocked for a moment. “Oh, hell no! Just fifty bucks. Hell, I don’t have Korbin-level money to be tossing around.” The two men shared a chuckle.

  “Hey, boss and mini-boss,” Katie called, smiling as she pranced into the room and grabbed a donut. She took a bite and turned back to the men, covering her mouth. “Whatcha up to so early? I know you said there was no training today.”

  “Some of us aren’t slackers,” Calvin teased, hip-checking her as he passed on his way for more coffee.

  “Yeah, okay.” Katie laughed, rolling her eyes.

  “No, we are going to go check out the new recruits so we can make the team stronger,” Calvin answered. “I know you are a beast, so it is probably shocking to find out that it’s not your show, but we have to do what is best.”

  “Ha ha.” Katie shook her head. “I’m glad this place doesn’t revolve around me. It’s stressful enough as it is. Do we have some good options?”

  “We just got the list,” Korbin answered, rinsing his mug. “They give it to us the same day as the interviews, so we are on the same playing field as any other team.”

  “Gotcha,” Katie said, staring at the two of them. “Well, try to get another girl. This place is full of testosterone and dirty socks. I need someone I can gang up on Derek with. You know, keep it interesting.”

  “I don’t know if we can handle another female,” Calvin replied. “Especially if she is as hotheaded as you are.”

  “You’re probably right,” Katie said, flashing a huge smile. “All right.” She waved her fingers. “Have fun, you two.”

  “Yeah.” Korbin patted her on the shoulder and walked out of the kitchen.

  Katie looked at Calvin in confusion, wondering why Korbin was being so distant. He was acting like picking up new members was the worst thing in the world. Calvin just shrugged and followed Korbin out to the garage.

  Calvin jumped in the driver’s seat of the first black SUV and buckled his seatbelt, then looked at Korbin with a stern face. Korbin rolled his eyes and buckled in too.

  “You know, for someone who risks his life fighting demons, you sure are ‘Mr. Hall Monitor, Safety First,’” Korbin ground out.

  “Yeah, but it would be just our luck to withstand an attack by demons and then die in a stupid car accident.” Calvin dropped the car into gear and pulled out of the garage. “Besides, drivers in Las Vegas don’t give two shits—they’ll smash right through you. Just lookin’ out for you, boss.”

  “Appreciate it.” He chuckled. “So, there are five options in this file for us to pick from.”

  “All right.” Calvin turned left. “Let’s hear ‘em.”

  “Well, option one is Eric Bynes,” Korbin told him. “He was a field medic in the military.”

  “That’s interesting.” Calvin took another left. “Especially after losing Garrett.”

  “Only thing is, he isn’t infected,” Korbin explained. “So he would be in for life, either until he became infected or he died. Those who come in human can never leave.”

  Calvin’s eyes narrowed. “Why in the hell would he want to walk into this, then?”

  “That’s what I’m searching for.” Korbin was reading the information on his tablet, and a moment later he scratched the back of his head as he spoke. “It says here that he lost two of his teammates to an outbreak over in the sandpit. He witnessed the whole thing and did some considerable damage to the demons; got out alive. It adds he has no family or significant other, and he just wants the chance to take a crack at them.” Korbin looked up as Calvin entered the 15 freeway. “What he saw over there must have been pretty brutal, but they don’t give any real details of the attack.”

  “If it was anything like the commune I can understand his feelings about it,” Calvin replied, “especially as a human seeing something like that for the first time. I imagine it would really fuck someone up or turn them into a revenge-driven machine.”

  “It’s concerning, but I’m not here to judge him on his personal choices for the rest of his life,” Korbin said. “If this is what he wants, so be it.”

  “Let’s just hope he isn’t a crackpot. We don’t want to have to put him down,” Calvin replied.

  “Yeah.” Korbin sighed. “Something like that would hurt Katie, and the morale for the rest of the team.” Korbin chewed on the information for a couple minutes, and the cab of the vehicle was quiet. “It’s a hard decision, Cal. He is physically qualified and has the drive, but we have already lost so much. I’m not sure what another loss would do to us if he can’t swing it without an infection.”

  “I really appreciate how much you care for our mental status,” Calvin said. “Let me just say though, your first and foremost responsibility is the war against the demons. You have to know that if this guy can help us get there,” Calvin looked at Korbin, “you can’t pass him up.”

  “Yeah…I know.” Korbin looked out the window. “You guys are my team, though. I’m responsible for your lives, so when I lose one—like Armani—it really hits hard. I’ve lost a lot of men in war, and now that I’m in a war with no end in sight, I fear going through that over and over again. It’s something that never gets easier.”

  “I get it, boss”

  “Anyway, there are several other candidates,” Korbin said, changing the subject. “The second is Jeremy Crofts. He is Damned, and was part of the FBI. His record shows that he was pretty much the perfect agent; awards and accolades through the roof. His team ended up in the thick of a swarm of new demons, apparently. They walked in right after the coven had summoned. Several of them were Damned, but he was the only one of his team to walk out alive. There is a note here that the facts of the case are foggy, though, and he doesn’t like to talk about it. I guess we won’t know for sure until we gain his trust.”

  “So he wants revenge?” Calvin guessed.

  “I’m not sure,” Korbin said. “From his responses, it looks like he just wants to be part of something that is combating this threat. His notes are intelligent; very short and to the point. From what it says in his file, he didn’t have much problem making the transition into this life. He is professional, strong, and follows the rules to a fault, and even with a demon in him he doesn’t waver from what is right and wrong.”

  “He’s in trouble coming to our team, then.” Calvin laughed. “We kind of go by our own rules as long as it gets the job done. Luckily we stay relatively safe and in one piece and who knows—might be a little fun if he was offset against Katie.”

  Korbin snorted. “True, but following the rules isn’t a bad thing, he might be good for us.” He chuckled and touched his tablet. “All right, candidate number three is Alissa Bonds. She is Damned, relatively new, trained with the East Coast teams but looking for a home. She was a schoolteacher—found herself on a really bad date, and ended up infected. Apparently she is strong, fast, and can wield a mean sword. She was a fencing coach in her human life, but the notes say she has a bit of a hard time controlling her demon when she gets angry.”

  “That sounds terrifying.” Calvin laughed. “But a little demon-f
ueled anger never hurt anyone.” Calvin sped up to pass a family in a little red Prius. The wife seemed intent on singing with the two little kids in the back seat while Dad suffered in the driving position. Calvin didn’t notice any headphones, so he was taking one for the team.

  “I don’t think that is necessarily true.” Korbin chuckled. “It says here she needs a strong hand, and that she caused at least four teammate trips to the medic during an incredibly trying mission into one of the largest DC covens. I’m going to steer clear of her.”

  “We already have our female, anyway.” Calvin pulled back into the normal lane. “And she is pretty much the essence of our team at this point. I can’t imagine her with another woman, especially one with anger issues.”

  “Also true,” Korbin agreed. “Moving on. Candidate Number Four is Bruno Ronshaft. He is a martial arts specialist, worked for the CIA overseas for about a decade, and speaks six languages.”

  “Does he speak demon?” Calvin asked sarcastically. “I don’t really think French and Portuguese are going to be an asset in this line of work. How did he end up here?”

  “His file said that he was in Rome on assignment with his partner,” Korbin explained. “He was on the way to the Vatican but got caught in a demon battle right outside the gates. His partner was brutally killed, and he was infected. He had the option to stay there and fight, but wanted to get back to the States. It says he is used to being the leader, but is capable of working in a team.”

  “Are those his words?” Calvin asked.

  “Yes,” Korbin replied. “Though in my experience with agents like him, they are very self-sufficient and tend to miss the little details unless they directly affect them. We need someone who is a team player through and through, and can keep their eyes and mind open to everything around them.”