Brailynn
A Rogue Enforcers Novel
Samantha McCoy
Contents
Preface
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Epilogue 2
About the Author
THE ROGUE ENFORCERS SERIES
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Brailynn (A Rogue Enforcers Novel)
© 2021 by Samantha McCoy
First Electronic Publication: January 2021
United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, redistributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in any database, without prior written permission from the author. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or deceased, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover Design: Dark Water Covers
Samantha McCoy
samanthamccoyauthor.com
Preface
There are more beings in the world than you will ever know –and there are Enforcers who make sure you never do. They’re the best of the best, perfect in almost every way. Speed, strength and gifts, they have it all. Only the best make it through their ranks. But there is another group out there, led by Colton Alexander. They might not be perfect, but they’re dedicated, vigilant and motivated. Each one is overcoming obstacles the Enforcers deemed undesirable. These men and women prove no one should ever be overlooked.
Welcome to the Rogue Enforcers, a world created by Grace Brennan. Here you're going to meet some kick ass supernaturals and read about their path to true love. If you’re reading my book as your introduction to this world, welcome! But you should know, there are characters mentioned from books released prior to mine. While my book is a standalone, you can definitely start at the beginning with Grace Brennan's Colton to learn how the Rogue Enforcers were formed.
Fair warning, though. Once you dive into this shared world, you might not resurface until you’ve read every installment.
Prologue
Devastation.
That was the only way to describe it.
Brailynn stared at the destruction, barely able to breathe through the heavy cloud of smoke that hung in the air. She, like many others, was covered in soot from their efforts to stop the spread. She felt mentally and physically drained. She couldn’t remember a time that she’d ever had to use her powers as much as she had to that day. Not even back in her youth, when she was just learning to harness them.
“Brailynn, what will we do?” Aversa asked, tears streaming down her face.
“I don’t know,” Brailynn answered honestly.
Derrick had been their leader. Their guide. And he had doomed them. He’d tricked them all and led his people to slaughter. Their lives, homes, and spirits had all been taken from them. The moment Derrick had invited Hunters into their coven, he’d betrayed them.
She couldn’t believe it.
Her home, her family, and most of her people - were gone.
Everything.
The soft rain began to fall a bit harder. Somewhere in the distance thunder rolled across the sky. Brailynn tried so hard to hold it together for her people, but she was failing miserably. At that moment, she had never missed her parents and grandmother more. If they were still alive and had been there, she knew they would know what to do next.
But they were long gone.
And she was alone.
Somewhere, off in the woods, a child started to cry.
Brailynn heart lurched even farther into her throat. She looked around, frantic to find the source of the sound. Others did the same. “Fan out,” she told the group. “Find him!”
She watched as those that were spared spread out to search for the child. There weren’t many and the realization hit harder than she ever thought possible. It sucked the air from her lungs and burned far more than any blaze. She had no idea what to do for her people but inside her stomach rolled. They needed a leader. Someone to protect them. To guide them in a way that Derrick never could.
And while they all seemed to look to her for that leadership, Brailynn couldn’t be who they needed. She simply wasn’t the leading type. She was an introvert. A loner.
A vibration, of sorts, rumbled through the coven and Brailynn groaned as she turned to address the new threat. She was sapped. Exhausted. And unsure if she could mentally or physically handle anything else.
“Oh, my God,” a soft cry came from the direction of the woods. “What happened?”
Brailynn watched with a keen eye as Tabatha Petrova stepped out of the woods, followed closely by several other supernatural. Brailynn flexed her hands, ready to defend what was left of her people, and their home, even if it meant expending herself beyond repair.
“What are you doing here?” Brailynn asked.
“What?” Tabatha looked confused by Brailynn’s words.
So, she repeated, “What are you doing here?”
“This is my home,” Tabatha answered, a bit taken aback by Brailynn’s tone.
“No.” Brailynn shook her head. Anger bubbled up inside her. The rain started to fall harder. Lightning exploded overhead and thunder shook the ground beneath their feet. “You abandoned us! You left us to be slaughtered! This is not your home. You’re a traitor!”
“That’s not true,” Tabatha denied. “I went searching for help.”
“You left us!” Brailynn screamed at her.
She watched as several of those accompanying Tabatha moved as if to protect her, and the act only angered Brailynn more. She lifted a hand and sent out a blast of water that hit one of the men square in the chests, knocking him to the ground.
“You dare to step into our home and present yourself this way?” she called out. Lifting her arms in a wide arc, she called on the surrounding waters. The wind whipped across her face. She gathered the moisture in the air causing it to swirl between her hands until it formed a tight ball, and with a loud battle cry, she sent it flying towards the small group like a tidal wave.
Brailynn rode along the tops edge of the wave, the wild winds aiding her to levitate above the chaos. She watched as the people with Tabatha began to scurry away like rats. “Run!” she yelled. “You, disgusting traitors!”
But unlike the others, Tabatha didn’t move as the wave crashed to the ground at her feet. Brailynn settled back onto the ground as the water started to recede, and the others came out of the hiding spots.
“Put a leash on your pets,” Brailynn ordered. Her hand itching to unleash another blast.
Tabatha’s eyes looked sad. And for a split second, Brailynn thought of apologizing. Deep down she knew Tabatha loved her people, but right now, the hurt she was feeling wouldn’t allow her to care. She felt betrayed. She felt scared. She felt sad. But mostly, Brailynn felt empty. Like everything had been taken from her, and she was left with nothing.
Suddenly, Tabatha’s arms were wrapped a
round her. She pulled Brailynn in for a tight hug. “I’m so sorry,” Tabatha cried. “I never… I never thought he would do this.”
Brailynn’s throat clogged with emotions.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect everyone,” Tabatha continued. “Please, sister. Forgive me?”
Brailynn stood there stiffly, unsure of what to say. It wasn’t like she could truly go head to head with Tabatha Petrova. As the Supreme, Tabatha’s magic was far more powerful than Brailynn’s. How could she defy her? How could she call her out for abandoning them?
So, she simply said nothing.
She knew Tabatha had the power to ease everyone’s pain or cause more. She could take away all the world's hurts and heal the devastation caused by carelessness and selfishness. Tabatha was the most powerful of all Wiccans. While the Wiccan Goddess of water spoke to Brailynn, Tabatha had the backing of all three Elemental Mother’s and the Great Mother of Earth. Four of the most powerful beings to ever exist.
Brailynn had heard the rumors. For as far back as she could remember, she had heard stories of how amazing Tabatha would become. How powerful she would be. Brailynn could still hear the fear and awe in her grandmother’s voice as she had whispered about how influential Tabatha Petrova would be someday.
And she’d been right.
Tabatha possessed the capability to end the world with a single snap of her fingers. With the ability to control all four elements – air, earth, water, and fire – and the ability to heal, the Wiccan standing before her, was unstoppable. She didn’t know if she should fear the other woman or respect her.
Tabatha could heal her coven, mentally, and physically. She could make them all feel better with a flip of her wrist, but instead, she allowed everyone to grieve. She allowed them to feel the betrayal and pain. To process the events that would forever change their lives and how they viewed the world.
And Brailynn wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She wanted to help her people. She wanted them to feel safe again. To feel secure. But at the same time, she believed they needed to process everything that had happened and feel their emotions to understand exactly how crucial this moment would be and how it would pave the rest of their lives.
“Brai!”
She pulled away from Tabatha and turned to see Aversa running toward her with what looked to be a small child wrapped in a blanket. Forgetting about Tabatha, Brailynn took off running toward her most trusted friend and as she got closer, she realized that the child was no longer crying.
“What happened?” Brailynn called.
“I don’t know!” Aversa responded.
Fear made her move faster. And when the two ladies finally reached each other, Aversa pushed the child into Brailynn’s arms. She stared down into the tightly wound blanket and her eyes grew round. It wasn’t just any child. It was a baby. A tiny, little newborn infant with the whitest hair she had ever seen. A newborn baby, that shouldn’t have been possible.
“But who?” Brailynn asked, astonished.
“I haven’t got a clue,” Aversa replied.
Brailynn hadn’t known that anyone in the coven was pregnant, therefore hadn’t expected to find anyone that young. She looked around at those that gathered, “Does anyone know who this baby belongs to?”
Each face turned to look at those around them, but nobody stepped forward.
“Do you know of anyone who was recently pregnant?” she asked. Again, nobody answered. “Come on! Anyone? Anyone at all?”
“It’s so difficult for our people to conceive,” Tabatha said to the group. “If this baby is one of us, he’s a miracle.”
“She,” Brailynn corrected. She slowly, carefully, unwrapped the baby the reveal the dingy pink outfit that covered her tiny form. “It’s a girl. I think.”
She looked around the group but didn’t find the reaction she’d hoped for. There was no mother desperate for her baby. No father. No sibling.
“Are we sure that she’s one of us?” someone asked.
Brailynn looked back at the infant in her arms, but she didn’t know. There was no way to tell, not yet anyway. They wouldn’t know for sure until the child became of age and started to show signs of magic.
But if she wasn’t one of them, then why was she out there? None of it made any sense. Had her parents been among the dead? But if someone was able to move the baby to safety, why did they return, only to die? Questions circulated through Brailynn’s mind.
“I’ll take her,” Tabatha said softly, holding out her arms. But then she turned to the group and said louder, “I will take all those who wish to leave. We can provide each of you with a safe home. Food, clothing. You are all welcome. Please consider it.”
Members of the coven seemed to turn toward Brailynn as if seeking her approval. She nodded. “Go with her. Find your peace.”
“What about you?” Aversa asked.
“Please,” Tabatha said to Brailynn. “Come.”
Brailynn had mixed emotions about Tabatha’s offer. While she hoped everyone would take her up on it and that Tabatha would keep her word and protect her people, Brailynn had no intention of going with them.
“Destiny demands your presence elsewhere, my child,” the voice rang out in her head. But Brailynn didn’t need the voice to tell her where she was heading, she already knew. She knew the moment the fires were started, and she witnessed Derrick and the Hunters slaughter her people. They had put into motion the events that would lead to Brailynn adventuring away from her home and out into the real world.
Alone.
She had sent it all play out. Her goddess had shown her the images in her mind. Brailynn knew fate had other things in store for her.
“My path is leading me elsewhere,” she told the group. “But, one day, we will see each other again.” She choked back her emotions. She wouldn’t allow the coven to see how hard it was for her to put her faith in another Petrova and leave them knowing her action could get the rest of the group killed.
“I will protect them with my life,” Tabatha said as if reading her mind.
“Your brother was supposed to do them the same thing,” Brailynn quipped.
“I am not Derrick,” Tabatha simply stated.
Brailynn bit her lip. No, Tabatha wasn’t Derrick, but still, that didn’t change the fact that she could betray them just as easily as her brother had.
“Have faith, my child,” the Water Goddess sighed. “All will be well.”
It wasn’t as if Brailynn had any other choice but to believe. Did she?
The hardest thing she’d ever had to do was saying goodbye to those that were left of her coven. Seeing them walk away from her, was Brailynn’s greatest heartache. But they needed to go. There was nothing left in the forest for them. Their homes were gone. Burnt to ash. Their compound had been completely compromised. And if they had stayed there, Derrick could have easily come back to finish them off.
Leaving with Tabatha was their best, and safest, option, she reminded herself.
“Is there anything you need us to do?” Malcom asked. “We’re here to help.”
She looked around with a heavy heart. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Okay,” Malcom told her. “Remember, the Hicks Pride will always be open to you. Whenever you’re ready all you got to do is say the word. Until then…” He pulled out his wallet and removed a business card. “Take this.” He reached back inside and removed a few bills. “And this. If you run into any trouble, call this number.” Malcom leaned in close. “He’s a dragon, with a few powerful friends at his fingertips.” He winked. “And use that money to eat or whatever.”
“A dragon?” Brailynn didn’t even know they were still around.
“Yep.” Malcom smiled. “Fire breathing and all.”
Brailynn chuckled. “Thanks.” She slipped the card and money into the back pocket of her shorts. “I’ll keep him in mind.”
“If you call him, just tell him I gave you his number,” he told her. “He can sometimes
be a bit…. temperamental.” Malcom chuckled.
“Will do.” Brailynn smiled as best as she could.
Malcom gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. “Safe Travels, Brailynn.”
She nodded.
She watched as he and the others followed Tabatha and the coven into the trees. As they all disappeared, her heart grew heavier than it had ever been before in her life. She’d never been without her people. A sense of total solitude engulfed her. The loneness was almost suffocating. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt since her parents had vanished when she was ten. And then losing her grandmother a few years later. She absently wiped away the tears that slid down her cheeks. She tried to suck a breath in past the clog of emotions, but she couldn’t. Brailynn cleared her throat and then with an outward sigh, she reached down to pick up her backpack, and with one final look around, she headed off in the opposite direction.
It was time to follow the path that the Elemental Goddesses was mentally mapping out in her head. The path that she had been preparing for all her life. A path that would lead her to the person she sought. To the person, she was willing to risk her life to destroy – Derrick.
Chapter One
Brailynn
“Thanks.” She waved as she hopped out of the 18-wheeler that had taken her the last two-hundred miles of her journey.
“Be safe, kid,” the driver hollered before putting his truck into gear and driving away.
Silently, Brailynn wished for the man’s good fortune and safe travels. He had been kind to her since he’d picked her up off the side of the road. He had even stopped along their route, to grab her food and made sure that she ate every single bite of it.
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