Novels by Rachel Holt

James held the reporter's gaze for a moment, then straightened his shoulders and spoke clearly into the microphones."Yes. I led this rescue operation personally when we learned that Claire Sterling, CEO of Sterling Global Corporation, had been kidnapped."The reporters erupted with questions, voices overlapping in a chaotic rush."How did you know where to find her?""Were the kidnappers armed?""Is Miss Sterling injured?"James raised his hand again, commanding silence with nothing more than his presence. The crowd quieted, though cameras continued flashing."We received intelligence about Miss Sterling's location approximately thirty minutes ago," James said, his voice steady and authoritative. "I immediately mobilized a tactical team and we moved to secure the area. The suspects were apprehended without incident. Miss Sterling is safe and receiving medical attention.""Were there casualties?" someone shouted from the back."No casualties. Several suspects are in custody and will f

The soldier helped Ethan to his feet, though Ethan didn't really need the assistance.He stood slowly, brushing dust from his pants, his expression unchanged. As if kneeling on a factory floor surrounded by armed gang members was just another Tuesday evening.Around them, the cleanup was already underway.Soldiers were hauling gang members to their feet, checking them for concealed weapons, reading them their rights. Police had arrived—regular city police, not military—and were taking statements, photographing the scene, bagging evidence.Victor Kane was being led out in handcuffs, his massive frame flanked by four soldiers who looked small next to him. He didn't resist. Didn't say a word. Just walked with his head down, his face blank.Richard was different.He was screaming."This is a mistake! I'm a victim here! That man—" he pointed at Ethan with his zip-tied hands "—he's the one you should be arresting! He attacked us! He broke into this building!"Nobody paid attention.Two poli

The sirens were deafening now.Then came the sound of engines. Heavy vehicles moving fast. Too fast for civilian traffic.Military.Victor's face went from white to gray. He looked around at his men, all of whom had frozen in place, their eyes darting toward the exits."Boss, what do we—" one of them started.The factory gates exploded inward.Not literally. But the force with which they were rammed open made it sound like an explosion. Metal screeched against metal. The chains that had secured them snapped like string.Through the opening poured a convoy of military vehicles—armored trucks, tactical vans, all of them painted in dark colors with no visible markings except for small military insignias.The vehicles screeched to a halt in a semicircle around the factory entrance, their headlights flooding the interior with blinding white light.Doors flew open.Soldiers poured out.Not regular soldiers. Special forces. You could tell by the way they moved—fast, coordinated, weapons up a

Ethan didn't move.His eyes locked on Victor's blade, calculating the distance between them. Fifteen feet. Maybe sixteen. Too far to close before Victor could drag the knife across Claire's throat.And Victor knew it.The gang leader's smile widened, triumphant. "That's right. Stay exactly where you are."Ethan's mind worked rapidly, running through scenarios. Every possible angle of attack. Every way this could play out.None of them ended well.If he rushed forward, Claire died.If he tried to negotiate, Victor would stall until his men returned from the perimeter. Then Ethan would be outnumbered again, and any chance of getting Claire out alive would vanish.There had to be another option.But right now, with that blade pressed against Claire's throat, Ethan couldn't see it."Smart boy," Victor said, his voice low and pleased. "I can see you thinking. Running through all your little plans. But here's the thing—there's no move you can make that doesn't end with her blood on this flo

Victor's head snapped toward the gang member with the radio."What do you mean, movement?"The gang member pressed the radio closer to his ear, listening intently. "Perimeter patrol says they saw someone near the north fence. Could be nothing, could be—""Get out there," Victor ordered, his voice sharp. "Take everyone except two guards. Check it out. Now."The gang members moved immediately, weapons drawn, heading toward the exits in a rush of footsteps and muttered curses.Ethan watched from the catwalk above, his expression unchanging.He'd thrown the rock fifteen minutes ago, deliberately aiming it at the fence on the far side of the complex where he'd seen motion sensors. Old security equipment that probably didn't even work anymore, but the gang wouldn't know that.They'd investigate. Waste time searching the perimeter for a threat that didn't exist.And that would give Ethan the opening he needed.Within thirty seconds, ten of the twelve gang members had filed out through the lo

Ethan pulled back from the window and pressed himself against the wall, his mind working through the problem methodically.Twelve gang members. Maybe more hidden in other parts of the factory. All of them armed with at least knives, probably guns too.Victor Kane in the center, holding Claire hostage.Richard Langley somewhere in the background, likely unarmed but unpredictable.Direct assault was suicide.Ethan needed another way in.He circled around to the north side of the building, moving carefully through the debris and overgrown weeds that had reclaimed this part of the industrial district. The darkness helped. No streetlights out here. Just the faint glow of the moon and the distant lights of the city.As he rounded the corner, he spotted it.A rusted fire escape clinging to the side of the building like a skeleton. The metal was old, corroded in places, but it looked stable enough. More importantly, it led directly to a second-floor catwalk that ran along the interior of the

The Eastern Defense Force's commitment to send troops gave Jacob and Anna their first real hope since learning about the conspiracy's scope. Captain Chen Wei promised two battalions—approximately eight hundred soldiers—could reach Seron within five days. It was not the army they needed, but it was something."Five days," Jacob muttered, studying deployment maps. "That gives us three days before the invasion to integrate them into defensive positions. Assuming Bishop does not accelerate his timeline when he learns we have reinforcements coming."Anna was still processing the revelation about her family connection to the Eastern Defense Force's command structure. "Captain Chen Wei said my mother's family were founding members of their alliance. Why did no one ever tell me this?""Your mother probably did not know herself," Leo suggested. "Guardian families often hid their heritage to protect their children from being targeted. Better to appear as ordinary civilians than advertise mystic

The words hung in the air like a death sentence. The Himulan Sect was under attack. Jacob's entire strategy had depended on those warriors arriving to bolster Seron's defenses, and now they were fighting for their own survival against an Argo assault that had been carefully timed to eliminate his most powerful allies before the invasion even began."Casualties?" Jacob asked, his voice tight with controlled emotion.Leo relayed the question to Carl, then listened to the response with growing despair. "Heavy fighting at the main temple compound. Multiple breaches in the outer defenses. Carl estimates at least two battalions of Argo regulars supported by armor and air cover. The Sect is holding but cannot disengage to come to our aid."Jacob slammed his fist on the table, the tactical maps jumping from the impact. Verons Heis had outmaneuvered them completely. While Jacob had been planning to summon reinforcements, Argo had already moved to neutralize those reinforcements before they cou

Jacob spent the next three hours composing the message that would summon the Himulan Sect to Seron. The words needed to convey urgency without causing panic, explain the scope of the threat without overwhelming recipients with information, and make clear that this was not a request but a calling of debts owed to a brother who had bled for them countless times."How many will actually come?" Anna asked, reading over his shoulder as he typed on the encrypted communication system that connected him to his former military network."All of them," Jacob replied with certainty. "The Sect does not abandon its own. When one calls for aid, the others answer. It is the foundation of everything we built together."He sent the message through multiple channels, ensuring it would reach every member of the Himulan Sect regardless of their current location. Some were still at the main temple compound. Others had retired to civilian life across the continent. A few worked as private military contracto

The revelation that Bishop planned to capture Anna and force her to activate the artifacts hung in the air like poison. Jacob felt rage building in his chest, the kind of cold fury that had made him legendary on battlefields across the continent. They were not just planning to use Anna as a tool—they intended to weaponize her guardian abilities against her own homeland."We need to get you somewhere safe," Jacob said immediately, already running through locations that might offer adequate protection. "Somewhere Bishop cannot reach you.""No," Anna replied firmly, her initial shock at seeing her uncle's betrayal transforming into steely determination. "Running solves nothing. We need to stop this invasion, and that requires both of us working together."The surveillance feed continued showing the conspirators discussing logistics and timelines. Bishop was explaining how the artifact activation would work—Anna would be kept sedated but conscious, her mystical abilities channeled through

Anna stared at her uncle's face on the surveillance monitor, unable to process what she was seeing. Kelvin Tate had been at her wedding. He had congratulated her and Jacob, smiled warmly, and offered what seemed like genuine happiness for their union. And all the while he was working with the people planning to destroy everything."Are you certain?" Jacob asked gently, though he could see the facial recognition software had made a positive match with ninety-eight percent confidence."It is him," Anna said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I recognize that suit. I gave it to him for his birthday two years ago."Jacob placed his hand on her shoulder, offering silent support while his mind raced through the implications. If Kelvin Tate was involved in the conspiracy, how much did the rest of Anna's family know? Was her grandfather Ben also compromised, or had he been kept in the dark about his son-in-law's treason?The surveillance feed showed the assembled conspirators taking seats ar

Jacob made the decision to establish a permanent surveillance position within an hour of discovering Bishop's underground fortress. The abandoned industrial complex provided numerous vantage points where observers could maintain visual contact with the facility's entrances without being detected themselves.They chose a partially collapsed warehouse three hundred meters from the main entrance to Bishop's compound. The building's structural damage made it appear too dangerous for occupation, which meant no one would investigate their presence. Leo's team reinforced the interior sections they needed while leaving the exterior looking as decrepit as before."We need to document everyone," Jacob said as they set up the surveillance equipment. "Every face, every vehicle, every piece of equipment entering or leaving. Build a complete picture of Bishop's organization."Anna helped position cameras at strategic angles, ensuring they captured clear images of anyone approaching the facility. Mi

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,