Novels by Rachel Holt

The observation deck at the top of the crystalline spire had become Jack's favorite place to think. From here, he could see the entire city spread out below—rebuilt stronger and more beautiful than it had ever been, filled with people living lives that would have been impossible without the protection his network provided.But tonight, as the dual moons cast silver light across the transformed skyline, Jack wasn't admiring their achievements. He was remembering where it all began."Hard to believe it started with Charles Oliver's execution," he said aloud, knowing his friends would hear him through their permanent mental link even though they were scattered across different dimensions on various missions."You mean it started with a weak boy nobody wanted," Lucy's voice replied warmly through their connection, her protective instincts wrapping around the memory with fierce affection.Jack smiled, pressing his hand against the medallion that had become part of his chest. The golden sur

The war room deep within the crystalline spire had become the nerve center for the most ambitious defensive project in dimensional history. Holographic displays showed the status of their entire universal cluster—thousands of realities connected by the portal network, each one now monitored by their expanded consciousness.Jack stood at the center of it all, no longer the weak boy who had once struggled to survive in a world that saw him as worthless. The medallion had become so integrated with his being that its golden surface was visible beneath his skin, pulsing with the rhythm of dimensional currents across countless worlds. But unlike the corrupt artifacts that had consumed previous wielders, his medallion was sustained by the bonds that connected him to his friends."Protocol Seven is now fully operational across all monitored dimensions," Sierra reported, her tactical awareness coordinating defensive measures on a scale that would have been incomprehensible months ago. "Early w

Six months after the dimensional crisis, their city bore little resemblance to the place that had nearly been destroyed by Vale's invasion. The rebuilding hadn't simply restored what was lost—it had created something entirely new.Where the old council headquarters had stood, a crystalline spire now reached toward the sky, its faceted surface designed to detect dimensional anomalies from hundreds of miles away. The building served as headquarters for the Dimensional Monitoring Initiative, the organization Jack and his friends had established to prevent future crises."Seventeen minor rifts detected across the northern sectors this week," Sierra reported during their morning briefing, her tactical awareness processing data streams that would have overwhelmed any individual mind. "All within normal parameters, but the frequency is increasing."Jack nodded, his consciousness simultaneously monitoring the reports while maintaining awareness of dimensional currents across their entire real

As the final seconds of his transformation ticked away, Jack felt his consciousness crystallize around a revelation that changed everything. The medallions' power didn't have to choose between perfect guardianship and human connection—it could create something entirely new."What if the burden doesn't have to be mine alone?" he said through their shared mental link, his voice carrying wonder despite his fading physical form. "What if we've been thinking about this wrong from the beginning?"Through their psychic connection, his friends felt his idea taking shape—not one guardian managing impossible responsibilities, but a network of consciousness that could handle the dimensional network's complexity while remaining anchored to humanity."You mean permanent integration?" Sierra breathed, her enhanced understanding immediately grasping the implications. "All of us linked directly to the dimensional network?""The ancient guardians failed because they became isolated from the people the

Jack's consciousness spread like spilled mercury across the dimensional network, his awareness touching worlds he'd never imagined. He could feel the pulse of life on countless planets, sense the delicate balance that held reality together, perceive threats to dimensional stability that existed light-years away.It was overwhelming and magnificent and terrifying all at once.Through his expanded perception, he could see their own world as just one node in an infinite web—small, fragile, but pulsing with the fierce determination of beings who refused to surrender to despair. He could feel Mrs. Sophie organizing relief efforts in the ruined city, Lord Rasmus's surviving soldiers helping with rescue operations despite their old conflicts, even the corrupted treasure hunters slowly recovering their humanity as the dimensional toxins were purged from their systems.But he could also feel himself slipping away from all of it. His connection to individual human concerns was fading as cosmic

The moment Jack's hand closed around Vale's dark medallion, reality screamed.Two opposing forces—one meant to protect, one designed to consume—collided within his consciousness with the fury of colliding stars. Jack felt his sense of self being torn apart and rebuilt simultaneously, his awareness expanding beyond the boundaries of single-dimensional existence.Vale's eyes widened in shock as his dark artifact began resonating with Jack's medallion, the two pieces fighting for dominance within the same host. "What are you doing, you fool? You'll destroy us both!""Maybe," Jack gasped, feeling the competing energies threaten to tear his mind apart. "But at least I'll take you with me."The dark medallion's hunger crashed against Jack's consciousness like a tidal wave of pure malevolence. It whispered promises of power beyond imagination, showed him visions of ruling infinite realities, offered him the ability to reshape existence according to his will. The corruption was overwhelming,

Jacob and Roseline raced through Seron's dark streets, the city lights blurring past like streaks of neon fire. Jacob's hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned white, and his mind churned through the impossible revelations Keaton had dropped before dying.Diana Tate was alive. Anna's mother had survived the massacre that killed the Krigg family. More than survived—she had orchestrated it. Everything Jacob thought he understood about that terrible night fifteen years ago was built on lies and manipulation."We need a plan," Roseline said from the passenger seat, checking her weapons with practiced efficiency. "Charging in blind will get us both killed and accomplish nothing.""The plan is simple," Jacob replied, his voice flat and emotionless. "I go in, I get Anna, and I kill anyone who tries to stop me.""That is not a plan. That is suicide with extra steps.""Then I commit suicide with extra steps." Jacob's foot pressed harder on the accelerator, pushing t

Jacob stared at the woman wearing Anna's face, his mind struggling to process what he was witnessing. "Who are you?"The imposter smiled—a cold, predatory expression that looked completely wrong on features Jacob had come to love. Her hands moved to her neck, finding an edge Jacob had never noticed before. With one smooth motion, she peeled away what he had thought was skin.It was not skin. It was a mask—incredibly realistic, made from materials that moved and breathed like living flesh. As it came away, it revealed a different face beneath. A face Jacob recognized immediately."Roseline," he breathed."Surprise," Roseline said, her real voice replacing the careful imitation she had been performing. She tossed the mask aside and shook out her hair, which had been compressed beneath the disguise. "We switched places at the hospital after the mansion explosion."Jacob's exhausted brain tried to catch up with this revelation. "You have been pretending to be Anna this entire time? The pr

Jacob staggered backward as the bridge beneath his feet began to shimmer and distort like heat waves rising from summer asphalt. Elijah's form wavered, becoming translucent. The woman in the chair flickered between Anna and someone else entirely. The floodlights dimmed and brightened in a rhythm that matched Jacob's racing heartbeat."No," Jacob whispered, pressing his hands against his temples. "This is not real. None of this is real."The fog around him thickened impossibly, becoming solid walls that pressed against his consciousness. He could feel something foreign in his mind—tendrils of external influence that had been controlling his perceptions, feeding him false sensory input while his body remained trapped somewhere else entirely.Memories crashed through the illusion like waves breaking against rocks. The explosion at the Tate mansion. Flying through the air. The impact that should have killed him. But after that, everything became fuzzy and disconnected, like watching event

Jacob arrived at the abandoned Millbrook Bridge at exactly 11:50 PM, the family amulet burning like a coal against his chest beneath his shirt. The structure had been condemned for five years, its rusted steel frame sagging over a river that had dried to a polluted trickle decades ago.He parked his car at the entrance and stepped out into darkness so complete it felt like walking into a void. Behind him, he could sense Leo and Carl positioned in the treeline with their team, ready to move on his signal. They had agreed to stay back unless Jacob's life was in immediate danger, but their presence was a comfort he clung to in the suffocating night.Fog began rolling in from the river valley, thick and unnatural. Within minutes, visibility dropped to near zero. Jacob could barely see his own hands in front of his face. Every combat instinct he possessed screamed that this was wrong, that he was walking into a carefully prepared kill zone.But Anna was here. His wife. Possibly his child.

Jacob stormed across the hospital parking lot toward his car, fury radiating from every step. "Marcus Nico is working directly with my brother. This is not just about revenge anymore. They are all connected—the Nicos, the Crimson Dawn, Elijah. Everything ties together."Leo jogged to keep pace, his tablet clutched against his chest. "Sir, we need to regroup and strategize. You cannot face this alone.""I am not planning to," Jacob replied, yanking open the driver's door. "Call everyone. Carl, the remaining team members, anyone we can trust. Emergency meeting at the safe house in thirty minutes."Twenty-eight minutes later, Jacob stood in a converted warehouse on the industrial side of Seron that served as his hidden base of operations. Maps covered the walls, surveillance equipment blinked with data streams, and weapons lined metal racks along the back wall.Carl arrived first, his military bearing evident in every movement. The former special forces operative had served as Jacob's se

"What? Since when?" Jacob caught Anna as her knees buckled, sweeping her into his arms before she could collapse onto the ash-covered lawn. "How is this possible? We have only been married for two weeks!"Anna clutched her stomach, her face twisted in pain and confusion. "I do not know. I thought the nausea was from stress. The exhaustion, the emotional turmoil—everything has been so chaotic that I did not even consider..." Her words cut off as another contraction made her gasp."Get her to a hospital!" Roseline shouted, already pulling out her phone to call for emergency services. "Now, Jacob!"Jacob did not wait for an ambulance. He carried Anna to his car, ignoring his own injuries and exhaustion. Roseline jumped into the driver's seat while Jacob cradled Anna in the back, murmuring reassurances he did not fully believe himself.The drive to Seron General Hospital took eight minutes that felt like eight hours. Anna's contractions came in irregular waves, each one making Jacob's hea