Fearless Bonds: A Reforming the Paranormal Council Novella - Book 4.5

By Sheri Eleese

t should have been a straightforward assignment; run surveillance, go undercover to deliver the antidote, identify the traitors, and shut the operation down.

When Bill snuck in after-hours for a quick look around, he didn’t expect to stumble across a robbery in progress. Or for his mate to be the thief.

It’s going to take all of Bill’s expertise to keep Connor safe when the bad guy comes looking for revenge. But when Bill gets into more trouble than he can handle, who’s going to be the one to rescue him?

This book follows the timeline of the RPC series and is best read in order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sheri Eleese
• Release date: Jan 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781777523381

Sheri Eleese

Sheri is an MM Romance writer who believes that love should have no boundaries, in happily-ever-afters, that dragons are real, and in strong leading characters...oh, and bacon; there’s always room for bacon.Sheri is a 1ST Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband, two sons, four cats, and one crazy, energetic dog.

Book preview

Fearless Bonds

A Reforming the Paranormal Council Novella

Sheri Eleese

Fearless Bonds

Reforming the Paranormal Council

Book 4.5

Copyright © Sheri Dwyer 2021

Written by Sheri Eleese

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This eBook is licensed for your personal pleasure only and may not be modified, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission of the copyright holder. 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 enjoyment only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.

Cover Design: SelfPubBookCovers.com/Joetherasakdhi

First Edition: October 2021

ISBN: 978-1-7775233-8-1 (eBook)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Author’s Note

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

About Sheri Eleese

Other books by Sheri Eleese

Acknowledgements

To all my loyal readers, friends, and family. Thank you for believing.

Author’s Note

The events in Fearless Bonds occur on the same timeline as Bryan and Max’s story in Hidden Bonds. Here’s a quick recap.

While Bryan and Max were running around New Orleans searching for a friend’s kidnapped daughter and hunting for the relic, Bill, a magic user from the Denver clan, was sent undercover to investigate the soda manufacturing plant. His objectives were to replace the demon-infused poison with a healing elixir and to search out anyone actively involved in the plot to eradicate the vampire species.

For those who are new, Bill was first introduced as a minor character in Feral Bonds, along with his best friend Ted. I’d intended to weave Bill’s story throughout Max and Bryan’s adventures but had to set him aside to focus on the other two when they continued to get into trouble every time I turned around.

The Reforming the Paranormal Council story arc was complete (for the most part) and the good guys won the day, but…I really like Bill. He makes me smile. And it saddened me that he was left languishing on the cutting room floor…so to speak.

Thus, he gets his own book.

Surprise.

Sheri

Prologue

I’m going to break in tonight to have a look around.

Do you think that’s wise?

Wise or not, my first delivery of the antidote is tomorrow. I should know what I’m walking into.

Be careful on this assignment. There’s no one watching your back this time.

Don’t worry. I know how to look after myself.

I have gray hairs that say otherwise. If you find yourself in trouble tonight, I want you to promise me you’ll pull out.

Relax, Nick. It’s a quick in and out. What do you think is going to go wrong?

The possibilities boggle the mind.

There’s no need for sarcasm. Hey, the lights just went out. Got to go.

Bill hung up on his clan leader’s curses, anticipation firing his nerves as he studied the darkened manufacturing plant. He had a feeling this assignment was going to provide the excitement that had been lacking in his life lately.

Shoving the phone into his pocket, he jogged across the street and vanished into the shadows.

Chapter One

Connor was replacing the last vial when he heard the key turn in the lock. He carefully slid the glass tube into the carton and slowly pushed the drawer closed, tensing when the metal latch engaged, then hurried to get under the desk.

The office door flew open, slamming into the wall.

Connor dropped to the floor, biting back a gasp when the stolen vials in his jacket pocket broke under his weight. Trying not to think about the contaminated liquid seeping through his shirt onto his skin, Connor slithered under the front paneling of the desk, coming up in a crouch on the other side. Balancing on the balls of his feet, he rested his fingertips on the thin metal and squinted around the darkened office searching for a place to hide. A tall shadow against the far wall offered possibilities…if he could get to it without getting caught.

Connor scurried across the floor to what turned out to be a stack of boxes piled next to a metal filing cabinet. He was just tucking himself behind it when the lights came on.

Let me grab the stuff, then we can take care of business. Heavy footsteps thumped against the cement floor.

Connor sat up straight. What the hell was his supervisor, Cliff, doing back? He’d left hours ago. Connor pressed an eye to a small gap between the stacked boxes, trying to see what his supervisor was doing, but his attention was caught by the other man who walked into the office. Connor shivered as he watched the stranger join Cliff at the desk, something about the way he moved raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

The man’s head abruptly snapped to where Connor was hiding. He froze, holding his breath, praying the man hadn’t seen him. The thumps of his racing heart sounded loud in his ears, drowning out the man’s words to Cliff. Connor slowly released his breath, sagging in relief when his supervisor responded and he realized the scary man hadn’t seen him after all.

Rats? Of course, there’s rats. No way to keep those little fuckers out.

Why don’t you poison them? a gravelly voice suggested.

And take a chance of them falling into the vats? The FDA would be all over our asses before they shut us down. The office chair creaked under Cliff’s weight when he sat. He yanked open the desk drawer with a screech of scraping metal. What the fuck?

Is there a problem? the raspy voice asked.

Someone’s been in here.

How can you tell?

This.

Connor frowned. He was sure he’d closed the drawer. How did Cliff know he’d been there? He put his eye to the gap again but couldn’t tell what had given him away.

Did they tamper with the supplies?

They better fucking not have. There was a clinking rattle of glass when Cliff set the carton of vials on the desk, then soft thunks as he lifted and dropped them back into their slots. After a minute, Cliff said, They look fine, but there’s some missing.

What? No, there wasn’t. Connor knew for a fact he’d put back the same number of vials as he’d taken out.

Cliff continued. There’s only enough left for one more production run.

You need to do two.

I just said I only have enough product for one.

That’s not my problem. Add a smaller portion to the vats if necessary, but get me that second run.

And fuck with Ruth’s orders? Shit like that gets you killed. She explicitly told me two vials per vat and that’s what I’m going to do.

I’ll kill you if I don’t get my money, the raspy-voiced man said. I granted you an extension when the inspector forced you to shut down. That does not mean I’m prepared to wait longer because you mismanaged the inventory.

Fuck you. Connor flinched when Cliff’s hands slammed down on the desk. I didn’t mismanage the fucking inventory. I’ve been running double shifts to make up for what the shutdown cost us.

The sound of a gun being cocked was loud in the small office. Remember who you’re speaking to.

A heavy silence followed. Eventually, Cliff muttered, Sorry, sir.

Better. There was a squeaking sound of leather as the man reholstered the weapon. Find a way to run the second batch. My patience grows thin.

I don’t know what you expect me to do. I can’t do the extra run without the additive, and I won’t get paid if it’s not added.

As I said, this is not my problem. My only concern is the money I’m owed.

For fuck sakes, could you just… The gun cocked again. Sorry. Just…let me check when the next shipment is coming.

Connor shrank lower, again holding his breath when Cliff walked over to the filing cabinet and pulled open the drawer. There was a rustle of paper as he rifled through the files, then a loud bang when the metal drawer slammed shut. He quietly exhaled when Cliff’s footsteps moved away.

Looks like there’s a delivery tomorrow. If I schedule an extra shift, I should be able to get you your money by the end of the week. Does that work?

This time. The man’s softer footsteps moved to the door. I’ll accept no more delays. For any reason. You get me?

Yes, sir.

Good. The sound of his footsteps faded down the hallway.

Stupid fucker, Cliff muttered. Pull a gun on me again and I’ll shove you into a fucking vat and to hell with the FDA. Bottles clinked when he picked up the box and stomped across the office, clicking off the lights and slamming the door. The key turned in the lock, leaving Connor alone in the dark, nervous sweat drying on his face.

That had been close. Way too close. And it shouldn’t have been. Not when he’d made sure the building had been empty before he’d broken in.

Even though he should have left, Connor made no move to get up. The longer he sat, the more crushing the darkness felt, the air weighted by an ominous heaviness that had him staying crouched behind the boxes for over an hour, too unnerved to move.

When he finally pulled himself up, pinpricks of fire ran through his legs when blood began circulating through his cramped limbs. He staggered and knocked into the boxes, toppling some of them to the ground. Reaching down to pick one up, he lurched forward, barely catching himself on the edge of the desk. He leaned on it, using it for support as he shook out the numbness in both his legs.

Once he had feeling back in his limbs, Connor quickly re-stacked the boxes, then snuck out the door, using his stolen key to lock it. He slunk through the building, sticking to the deeper shadows as he made his way to the back exit, with frequent stops to check behind him, convinced someone was watching him. When he finally made it to the rarely used door he’d propped open, he paused, listening for any signs of movement in the darkened building, but heard nothing.

But he could still feel those eyes on him.

Deciding it must be overactive imagination, Connor slipped out the door and shoved the wedge he’d used to prop it open into his pocket. He crept down the side of the building until he reached the back security fence, then crawled through the hole he’d cut in the wired mesh, cursing when a wire snagged on his jacket, stopping his progress. Yanking hard, he pulled himself free, then scrambled to his feet and began running, the need to get away dogging at his heels.

He kept to the shadows as he jogged through the streets and alleys, dumping the broken glass vials into one dumpster, his jacket in another, and his shirt in a third, finally reaching the street where he’d parked his car. He jumped in the vehicle and fumbled his keys when he tried to jam them into the ignition. Forcing his unsteady hands to cooperate, he tried again, this time getting the car started. Slamming it into gear, he tore off down the street, not once looking back.

Connor didn’t breathe easy until he was halfway across the city.

——

Bill walked carefully along the