by C. D. Gorri
THE ENFORCER
By C.D. Gorri
Edited by BookNookNuts
Copyright 2020 C.D. Gorri
*Before you begin sign up for my newsletter here:
https://www.subscribepage.com/cdgorri
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, places, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either part of the author’s imagination and/or used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. No part of this book is to be reproduced, scanned, downloaded, printed, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of any materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author
Table of Contents
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
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue
About
Connect
Other Books
Chapter 1
The moon would soon be full. Isabeau looked at the night sky and pulled the hood of her ivory sweater up over her fiery red curls. She passed between the red and sugar maples, a few tall beech trees, and a lonely pine when a low growl sounded next to her. She reached out to touch the thick fur of the adult she-Wolf who walked beside her through the forest trail.
“It’s okay Artemis, let’s finish our rounds and get home.”
As she walked around the perimeter of her land she chanted an ancient language that few would be able to identify fortifying the wards around her large animal sanctuary. That was what the mortals around her thought it was, and for the most part they were correct.
To them, Isabeau Rose had just arrived in town a few years ago with the deed to five-hundred acres of Northern New Jersey farmland. Within a few months, she’d transformed the abandoned horse farm and the woods around it into a series of habitats for wild animals that were injured or discarded. Creatures that needed a haven for rehabilitation.
She had a main house for herself that boasted ten-bedrooms and six-full baths, an indoor pool and spa, two stables, one for her horses, the other for more exotic wildlife, two large red barns, and a state of the art veterinary clinic on the grounds.
“Out late, aren’t you?” Beau turned around to find the source of the unfamiliar voice. She lifted her hand to calm Artemis who was ready to pounce on the intruder.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
“The real question is what are you doing out here so late? Surely your wards don’t need reinforcement at this time of night, not out in this quiet New Jersey forest, Sorceress Rose?” The dark stranger spoke with an unearthly calm to his voice that put Beau on edge.
This was no mere mortal. She used her keen sight to see him despite the darkness and almost gasped aloud. His face was perfect, except for a thin silver scar that ran from his left eyebrow to his chin. His eyes blazed cerulean blue fringed with impossibly dark lashes. They were carefully masked to hide his emotions.
Chapter 2
She had the sudden urge to read what was behind those remarkable eyes, but that wasn’t her gift. The human animal was not her forte. In fact, the more complex a creature, the more difficult it was to read. If only she could tell this stranger’s mind as easily as she could the animals she harbored.
“Sorceress Rose? How do you know me, stranger?”
“I know you, Mistress.” He responded coyly.
“Ah, you’re magick aren’t you? A rogue warlock looking for a place to stay the night? A vampire looking for dinner maybe?” He grinned at that and she knew at once what he was.
“You’re an Enforcer.” She squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. The stranger didn’t argue or protest.
An Enforcer. Damn it. That was something she could do without in her life.
“What do you want, Enforcer? I’ve done nothing wrong.” She defiantly lifted her chin and stared down the arrogant man.
He leaned casually against a gnarled old tree trunk in her backyard as if he were the keeper of the land he stood upon. She tried not to notice the play of muscles as he pushed off the tree and stalked towards her. His tight fitting jeans and leather jacket hugged the powerful muscles of his body and Beau had to work to keep from staring.
“Just answer me this, Sorceress Rose, where are you harboring the Were?” Isabeau was startled by his frank question. She suspected what he was after, and now her worst fears were confirmed.
Change the subject, Beau, or better yet let me teach this guy it’s rude to wear your leftovers! Artemis bared her teeth in a low growl.
“My friend here finds your taste in clothing offensive,” she stared pointedly at the leather jacket covering his hulking frame to his lean waist.
“Well, tell your friend this is no relation of hers,” he returned.
He walked around her, almost circling her as an animal did his prey. He stopped under a ray of moonlight and looked deep into her eyes. It was as if he was trying to see into her soul.
Beau looked down, she had no choice but to break his poignant stare. His arm came into focus and she noticed the shape of the cracks in the leather. Large, almost perfect ovals, the veins were wide and deep and the color was a dark, rich grey. There was no zipper or buckle, it held itself closed.
Magick indeed. Stolen magick!
“But that’s dragon skin you’re wearing! How could you?”
“It is not what you think-”
“What I think is you shouldn’t be flaunting the hide of a creature long extinct. Or are you descended from the barbarians that hunted them down and slaughtered them? I would think an Enforcer like you wouldn’t wear something so obviously illegal.”
Chapter 3
Her distaste could be no more apparent. Garren noticed the lack of leather or bone, anything derived from an animal on her very shapely body. Now that was the kind of thing he knew better than to notice. The woman might be stunning, but that had nothing to do with his presence there.
Never get involved. That was his motto. This was a mission, nothing more. He pursed his lips at her angry stance. Damn, he sighed, resigned to what was about to happen. He figured it would be easier to get the location of the Were if she didn’t hate him off the bat. Perhaps an explanation was necessary.
“You are right of course. Sadly, dragons are now extinct.”
“Indeed they are. How could you-”
“If I might explain,” he raised his hands to ease her agitation, it was important to him for some reason he’d rather not think about at the moment.
“Go on then,” she nodded her rather beautiful head for him to continue and he did, despite the fact that his tongue had gone dry.
“This jacket was handed down to me from m
y father, who got it from his father, and he from his. They were also Enforcers, not barbarians.”
“I see,” she said.
“It was made when dragons were as plentiful as your friend there, a gift in fact, donated by a dragon clan to my great-grandfather for his service to them. It doesn’t age, doesn’t tear, and is fireproof, so you can say it comes in handy with my job description. I cannot count the times it has saved my life. But back to the subject at hand. The Were. Where is it?” Though he asked her politely, he was in no polite mood.
His job description entailed some unfriendly business. He’d done his research on the mistress of these woods and decided to try a frontal approach. Attempting to get through her wards had been near impossible so he’d sat in wait for her to make her rounds as she did nightly.
Reconnaissance is key. Hadn’t he been taught that all his life? Now, he would see if it paid off. If his watching would lead him to that which he sought.
Chapter 4
Isabeau schooled her features to appear as calm as he seemed. She was keen to keeping her mind clear for she didn’t know this particular Enforcer’s power. She heard it told some would be able to sense her thoughts should they stray. She wasn’t willing to take that chance.
“I know the properties of dragon skins better than you do, Enforcer. I don’t know of any Were. Why don’t you leave and tell your masters that you’ve found nothing here? Go look somewhere else.”
His nostrils flared slightly and she watched as the stranger clenched his teeth tightly before answering her, “The High Members of the Council for Magickal Legislature and Enforcement are not my masters. I track and bring to justice those of our kind who don’t follow our rules. For our protection and for the protection of all those who inhabit this realm, Sorceress, as you well know. I’ll be back tomorrow. Ready the Were. We leave at dawn.”
He slipped silently past her through the thicket of trees to her left. Though he was gone without a visible trace, she could still sense the change in the atmosphere his presence had caused. The air around him was charged with confidence and his distinct sense of duty. Traits she would have normally found attractive were he not here to destroy all that she worked for.
What was she doing? Lying to an Enforcer! He could have her brought before the council and stripped of her powers in a heartbeat if found guilty. And guilty she was. Even worse than her lie was the fact that she was attracted to the man. How did that happen?
She didn’t have time for this. Beau needed to concentrate on her mission. Artemis howled and snapped at the air bringing her mistress back to the present.
Beau, finish the job and let’s get back. The moon is getting higher.
“Yes, yes, alright,” she said, and continued her rounds at a much faster pace. She had no time for the beauty of the forest tonight, nor did she have time to talk to the nocturnal animals that scurried about. She mentally bid them all good hunting and safe passage through morning before she hurried back to the main gate of her sanctuary, Beleza Wildlife Haven.
Chapter 5
Isabeau Rose quickly passed the habitats of two enormous Siberian tigers on the way to her office. She used her powers to mentally quiet the restless beasts having rescued them just a month ago from a group of so called big game hunters. The criminals paid for the experience of killing two regal felids in a closed room just one state over.
Ha! What kind of sport was that? Hunters indeed! More like cowards and murderers. Beau shook her head angrily, and Artemis snarled at the cats. The big Siberians paid the wolf no mind, and the two of them continued to walk on past the enclosure.
Feeling her mistress’s anxiety, Artemis ran ahead and stopped at the double doors to the veterinary clinic just in front of Beau.
“Wards of protection see it is me, if you please, let me be,” she whispered. Her green eyes glowed red for a split second before her wards opened, allowing them to enter the building.
“Don’t be afraid, Knox. It’s me, Beau.” Isabeau waved her hand and the lights overhead flickered to life.
On a small bed at the north end of the room lay a child curled up in fetal position. The boy jumped up, crouching on the edge of the cot with the covers pulled up to his chin the second he’d heard her enter the room. Poor thing.
When he realized who she was, he eased up on the covers and shyly stuck his head out. This was not an ordinary boy. Knox was special.
Two long, pointy ears poked out through his overgrown hair, tiny fangs peeked over his lips, and a small set of whiskers had begun to grow on either side of his nose and were long enough now to brush his cheeks. On his broad forehead were various wires and sensors. Her gaze went from his face to the IV that was thankfully still hooked up to his fur-covered hand with its elongated fingers. Isabeau sat down next to the boy and rubbed his head back and forth in a comforting manner until the boy withdrew from the covers completely and hugged her in a firm grip.
“Ohh!” she squealed and smiled into his bronze colored hair.
“Beau!”
“Hey, it’s just me. How are you doing, kiddo?”
“Beau you came back, you didn’t let him have me! I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I could hear you in the forest. I was so scared, Beau.” Right then, he looked very much like a regular little boy of twelve except for all of the hair, the pointy ears, and the thick, dark fingernails that were growing by the day.
“Oh Knox, I wouldn’t give you up for anything. Not with your first transformation coming around the corner, kiddo. Remember what I told you? I promised your mother I’d take care of you, keep you safe.”
She frowned remembering her oath to care for and protect the boy from any harm as was sure to come his way.
He is destined for great things. That was what his mother told Beau just before she died. No matter what, she would keep the boy safe. Until he was old enough to protect himself. That was her vow.
Chapter 6
“Why, Beau? Why did you promise? Why didn’t you send me to an orphanage like other kids with no parents go to? What’s the big deal with me? Why do I need to be kept safe?”
“Knox, we’ve been over this. A newborn Were can be a danger to himself and to others around him. The Council refuses to listen to reason. They have banned all magickal folk from helping lone Weres. In groups you are safe, but orphaned pups such as yourself are to be left in the wilderness.”
Knox whimpered and her heart squeezed in her chest, but he needed to know the truth. His mother had encouraged it, and Beau would follow in her footsteps.
“You don’t have to worry, Knox. I promised your mom that I’d take care of you and I meant it. I’ll help you through it, and sooner than you think, you’ll have control over it.” She paused a moment. She could tell he was waiting for something else. Hiding her grin, she waited a full beat before continuing.
“So, that’s why I am helping you, Knox.”
“Oh.” He hung his head and nodded.
“Yes, oh, and of course the fact that I love you, you silly boy! Now here, I brought you something.” Isabeau ruffled his furry mane of bronze curls and laughed when he smiled an earsplitting grin. With a wave of her hand she pulled a very large, very rare steak and giant container of ice cold water out of thin air.
Hunger was one of the driving forces of a Were who was just starting his transformation. One of the reasons orphaned Weres were considered so dangerous was their inability to control and sate their hunger. Young Knox was practically drooling with anticipation. Okay. He was drooling. She handed him a napkin and nodded for him to begin.
“Oh wow! I’m starving!” He jumped towards the food and she was pleased to see his movements strong and sure. The physical toll of the transformation affected each Were differently. She’d known some who were bedridden for weeks leading up to their final change. Not Knox. He was a bundle of energy.
“You’re always starving,” she laughed, “Eat up now, my handsome boy. And use your napkin!”
While he was occupied,
she turned to check his vitals and blood mutation levels. She’d been monitoring them with several high-tech human-made machines, and one or two magickal ones in the corner of the room. She shrugged out of her hooded sweater and shook out her long red curls.
Her eyes flashed, their emerald green would be glowing, she knew as she read over the data. Her brow creased. The levels of his mutating Were-gene were rising rapidly. This full moon would be it for sure.
She had been watching Knox closely for months now. When his angel of a mother had passed, she’d taken the responsibility for the child. She’d been friends with Weres, but Beau had never experienced a first transformation before.
She’d had a lot of research to do. Not an easy feat when the Council outlawed all Were knowledge. They preferred to think of them as beasts. Mindless animals that were a danger to all. The very idea made Isabeau furious. She wasn’t sure when the Council had started to behave more aggressively in regulating Weres, but there were so many restrictions now most were in hiding.
She shook her head and turned her thoughts to Knox and what she did know to help him. She knew that a Were child made his or her first change around the same time puberty began in a human boy or girl. It seemed every year these things were starting earlier and earlier. At just twelve, her young charge was about to go through one of the most painfully physical feats she’d ever witnessed.
Knox usually stayed in the house with her, but since he was feeling so poorly, she had him staying in the clinic this past week. She also needed to keep him as secret as possible, but it felt wrong and cruel to deny him simple pleasures like being outdoors.
Now she knew better. She had been foolish to let him out and about. The Council suspected her of harboring the boy. Though, she was sure the Enforcer didn’t really know who the child was related to or why he was so special. She doubted the stranger with the piercing eyes knew that she was protecting Knox Reynolds, heir to the Stone Hill Pack.
