Novels by Rachel Holt

Jacob scooped Anna into his arms and ran toward the exit as the Forno compound began tearing itself apart around them. Explosions chased them through corridors, each detonation closer than the last as incendiary charges ignited in sequence."Hold on to me," Jacob commanded, channeling mystical energy into a protective shield around both of them. Debris bounced off the golden barrier as they navigated the collapsing structure.Behind them, Jacob heard Michael Forno screaming for his son, trying to drag James's broken body toward an exit that no longer existed. Part of Jacob wanted to go back, to save them despite everything they had done. But Anna was his priority, and every second they remained in the compound decreased their chances of survival.A massive explosion tore through the bunker level, the shockwave throwing Jacob forward despite his shields. He twisted his body to take the impact, protecting Anna from the worst of it as they tumbled through a doorway and into a stairwell t

Jacob's hands moved to the edges of his mask, fingers finding the release mechanisms that had been second nature for fifteen years. He hesitated for just a moment, knowing that once he removed it, there would be no going back. The separation between his two identities would collapse forever.But Anna's terrified whimper decided the matter. He pressed the release points and lifted the mask away from his face.The change was immediate. The demonic metal features that had terrorized countless enemies disappeared, revealing the familiar face Anna knew. Jacob's brown hair was matted with sweat, his hazel eyes showed exhaustion and pain, and blood splattered across his features told the story of brutal combat. But it was unmistakably him.Anna's expression transformed from terror to complete shock. Her mouth opened and closed several times without producing sound as her brain struggled to process what her eyes were seeing."Jacob?" she finally whispered, the single word carrying disbelief,

Anna's scream echoed through the throne room, raw with genuine terror. She struggled against her chains, desperate to put distance between herself and the blood-soaked figure standing over James's broken body.Jacob froze, the killing blow he had been about to deliver forgotten. In his rage and desperation to rescue Anna, he had not considered how she would perceive him. To her eyes, he was not a savior—he was another monster, perhaps worse than the one who had kidnapped her."Anna," Jacob said, his voice distorted through the mask's modifications. "You are safe now. I came to—""Stay away from me!" Anna's voice was shrill with panic. She pulled harder against the chains, not caring that the metal was cutting into her wrists. Blood trickled down her arms as she fought to escape.Jacob took a step toward her, intending to break the chains and free her. Anna recoiled violently, pressing herself back against the chair as if she could somehow phase through it to get away from him."Please

Jacob froze at the entrance to the throne room, his entire focus on the knife pressed against Anna's throat. A single wrong move, one moment of lost control, and James could kill her before Jacob could intervene."That is far enough, Dark Blade," James said, his voice carrying genuine excitement. "I have heard so many stories about you. The legendary masked general who defeated entire armies. I confess, I am honored to finally meet you in person."Anna's eyes were wide with terror as she stared at the masked figure in the doorway. She had seen Jacob fight before, had witnessed his combat abilities during training and attacks on their safe house. But this was different. The warrior standing before her radiated menace so intense it felt like a physical presence, and the mask transformed him into something inhuman."Let her go," Jacob said, his voice distorted slightly by the mask. "Your quarrel is with me, not her.""My quarrel is with anyone who possesses abilities worth studying," Jam

The Forno compound had become a battlefield, and Jacob was its sole invading force. He moved through the mansion like a vengeful spirit, leaving destruction in his wake as he systematically dismantled every layer of security between himself and Anna.A ten-man tactical team attempted to ambush him in the main gallery, dropping from ceiling positions while others emerged from hidden panels in the walls. Jacob sensed their presence before they moved, his mystical abilities giving him awareness that transcended normal human perception. He spun, mystical energy exploding outward in a wave that threw bodies against walls with sickening force. The ambush collapsed before it could fully deploy.Two guards remained conscious enough to raise their weapons. Jacob closed the distance faster than they could track, his combat knife finding the first man's weapon hand and disarming him with brutal efficiency. The second guard managed to fire three shots, all of which passed through golden shields J

The Forno compound's outer perimeter was guarded by motion sensors, thermal cameras, and twelve soldiers rotating in overlapping patrol patterns. The security system had been designed by military contractors and tested against special forces infiltration teams.It lasted exactly four minutes against the Dark Blade.Jacob approached from the northeast, where the terrain provided minimal cover but also the least expected angle of attack. He moved through the darkness with supernatural silence, his mystical abilities dampening sound and masking his heat signature from the thermal sensors.The first patrol never saw him coming. Jacob materialized from the shadows behind two guards, his blades finding vital points before either man could raise an alarm. They collapsed without a sound, their weapons caught and lowered gently to prevent noise.He dragged their bodies into the undergrowth and continued forward, his mask's enhanced vision tracking the positions of every guard and camera in his

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,