Novels by Thrust X

Chloe handed the phone back."Maya, listen to me," Mrs. Torres said. Her voice had that edge it got when she was trying to control her temper. "This is serious. That boy has wormed his way into some woman's wallet and now he's walking around acting like he matters. We need to do something."Maya was quiet for a second. Jake could almost hear her thinking through the phone if he'd been there."Don't worry about it," Maya finally said. "Derek and I are going to the Titan Enterprises gala tomorrow. We'll see Jake there, probably begging for scraps. Derek's dad already has everything lined up.""What do you mean?""Derek's father has been working on a deal with Titan for months. Some big project. Tomorrow at the anniversary celebration, the new chairman is supposed to sign off on it. Once that happens, the Mitchell family moves up. We're talking serious money. Second-tier family status."Mrs. Torres's angry expression shifted. Got greedy. "Second-tier? Are you serious?""Dead serious. Der

Sora's expression didn't change but something in her eyes went cold. Dangerous. She turned to the manager."You refused his card?"The manager's face went pale. "Ms. Chen, I... there was a misunderstanding. The card looked unusual and I wasn't sure—"Sora's hand moved fast. The slap connected with the manager's cheek. Sharp. Loud. The sound echoed through the quiet store like a crack of thunder.The manager stumbled sideways. Her hand flew to her face. A red mark bloomed across her skin."Ms. Chen!" she gasped. "I'm sorry! Please, I didn't know he worked for you! I thought he was just some errand boy you sent to—"Another slap. Harder this time.The manager's eyes went wide. Tears started forming. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I should have realized he was running errands for someone important! Please forgive me!"Sora's jaw clenched. Her eyes flashed with something dangerous. "Errand boy? You think he's my servant?""I... isn't he?" The manager touched her burning cheeks. "I mean, why el

The manager's expression went carefully blank. "I'm afraid—""That's the one I want," Chloe said. She pointed at the Dragon's Heart Crystal sitting on the counter. "Mom, look. It matches my dress for the gala tomorrow.""Perfect." Mrs. Torres pulled out her phone. "We'll take it. Charge it to my account.""Ma'am, I'm sorry but this gentleman was here first—""I don't care." Mrs. Torres's voice went cold. "Do you know who I am? My husband owns half the businesses on this street. If you want to keep your job, you'll sell us that crystal right now."The manager's face went pale. Her professional smile cracked at the edges. Jake could see her doing mental math. Weighing options. Deciding who was more important to piss off."Mrs. Torres, I understand, but—""But nothing." Mrs. Torres snapped her fingers at the clerk. "Box it up. We're in a hurry."That's when Chloe actually looked at Jake. Really looked. Her eyes went wide."Wait." She grabbed her mother's arm. "Mom. That's him. That's Jak

"You'll need it," Marcus said. He walked back to his desk and pulled out a tablet. Tapped on it a few times. "Tomorrow you're taking over Titan Enterprises. It's one of the largest companies in the city. Real estate, tech, entertainment, hospitality. Annual revenue sits around fifty billion."Jake's head was spinning. Like actually spinning. He gripped the armrest of the chair."Tomorrow? That's... that's way too fast. I don't know anything about running a company. I barely passed high school business class and that was because the teacher felt sorry for me.""You'll have help." Marcus swiped something on the tablet. "Sora will be your assistant. She knows everything about how we operate. The company also has a board of executives who handle day-to-day operations. Your job is to be the face. Make strategic decisions. And most importantly, establish your presence.""My presence," Jake repeated. The words felt foreign in his mouth."Power isn't just about money or strength." Marcus set

Jake's eyes snapped open.The world looked weird. Too bright. Colors bleeding into each other like someone had cranked up the saturation on a TV. He could see every detail on the concrete beneath him. Every crack. Every stain. Even in the darkness, everything was clear as day.The dogs were maybe ten feet away. Three of them. Massive things with scars and teeth that looked way too big for their mouths.But Jake wasn't scared. He should've been terrified, right? Normal people would be. Instead he felt... calm. Powerful. Like his body was humming with electricity.'What's happening to me?'The ring on his finger was still glowing. That soft blue light pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. And with each pulse, more information flooded into his brain. Stuff he'd never learned. Never read. Never even heard of.Fighting techniques. Ancient ones with names he couldn't pronounce. Ways to move his body that shouldn't be possible. How to channel energy through his limbs. How to break bone and m

Jake stood outside the apartment door, his phone still warm in his hand. The text from Maya had been short. Simple. "Come over. Need to talk."His heart did that stupid flutter thing it always did when she messaged him. Even after two years together, she still made him feel like some lovesick kid. He reached for the doorknob, already planning what he'd say. Maybe she wanted to plan their anniversary dinner or…A sound stopped him cold.It came from inside. Low and rhythmic. A woman's voice, but not talking. Not exactly.Jake froze. His hand hovered over the door.No way. That couldn't be what it sounded like. Maya wouldn't. She was probably watching a movie or something. Yeah, that made sense. Just a movie with the volume up too loud like she always did because—Another sound. Deeper this time. A man's voice mixed with hers.The phone almost slipped from his fingers. His chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped a rubber band around his ribs and kept pulling. Tighter. Tighter.'This