Novels by Rachel Holt

"...and as you can see from the quarterly report, our stock has dropped fifteen percent in the past seventy-two hours."The board chairman's voice was cold and precise. He stood at the head of the long conference table, a printed chart in his hand. The numbers were highlighted in red.Claire sat near the middle of the table, her hands folded in her lap. She kept her expression neutral, even though her stomach was twisting into knots.Around her, the other board members sat in silence. Some of them looked uncomfortable. Others looked angry. A few would not even meet her eyes.The chairman continued. "Fifteen percent. That translates to a loss of over three billion dollars in market capitalization. Three billion. In three days."He set the chart down on the table and looked directly at Claire."Miss Sterling," he said. "This is unacceptable."Claire took a slow breath. "I understand the board's concerns. But I would like to remind everyone that this situation is being blown out of propo

Vivian did not sleep for the rest of the night.She sat on the edge of the motel bed, staring at her phone. She kept checking it anyway. As if staring at it would somehow make time move slower.Seventy-two hours.The words kept repeating in her head like a countdown. Seventy-two hours to find a ring she had never seen before. A ring that might not even exist.What if Ethan did not have it? What if the man had been wrong? What if this entire thing was a waste of time and she ended up with nothing?No. She could not think like that. The man had seemed certain. He knew exactly what he was looking for.That meant the ring was real. And if it was real, Ethan had it somewhere.The question was: where?Marcus stirred beside her, mumbling something in his sleep. Vivian glanced at him briefly, then looked away. He had been useless so far. Just sitting there, nodding along, offering nothing.She needed to think. She needed a plan.By the time the sun came up, Vivian had gone through every possi

Vivian sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her phone.Marcus was in the bathroom. She could hear water running.Her hands were shaking. Her mind was racing.Ethan's words kept echoing in her head. "You do not want to find out."The coldness in his voice. The certainty. Like he was not making a threat. Just stating a fact.She was terrified. But she was also furious.How dare he threaten her? How dare he act like he was better than her?She had given him everything. And he had thrown it all away.No. She had to stop thinking like that. She had to act.Vivian opened her contacts and scrolled through the numbers. Most of them were useless now. Old friends who no longer answered her calls. Business contacts who had cut ties after her divorce.Then she found the one she was looking for.A number with no name attached. Just digits.She had gotten it months ago from an acquaintance who moved in less respectable circles. "If you ever need something done," the acquaintance had said. "Someth

The paparazzi pressed closer, cameras raised, microphones thrust forward.Ethan looked directly at the nearest camera."Claire Sterling is a friend," he said clearly. "Nothing more. She helped me and my sister when we needed it. That is the entire story. Now leave her alone."A reporter immediately shouted back. "Then why are you living in her villa?""Because she offered it and we accepted. There is no relationship. No scandal. Just one person helping another.""But the photos show—""The photos show exactly what I just told you. A friend helping a friend. That is all."Another reporter pushed forward. "What about Sophia Cole? She publicly defended you today. Are you in a relationship with her?""No.""Then why would she defend you?""Because I helped her family. And she is a decent person who does not believe tabloid lies.""So you are not dating either of them?""No.""Then why—""I have answered your questions," Ethan said. His voice was still calm but something in it made the rep

Claire sat in her car, surrounded by paparazzi on all sides. Cameras pressed against every window. Flashes going off constantly. Voices shouting over each other. "Miss Sterling! How long have you been dating him?" "Is it true you used company money?" "What does the board think about this?" Her driver tried to inch forward but there were too many bodies blocking the way. Someone banged on the hood of the car. Someone else tried the door handle. Claire pulled out her phone and called Ethan. He answered immediately. "Where are you?" "Outside the gates. I cannot get through. There are too many of them." "How many?" "At least thirty. Maybe more." Claire looked out the window at the sea of cameras and reporters. "They followed me from headquarters." Ethan was already moving to the front window. He looked out and saw the chaos. Claire's car completely surrounded. Paparazzi blocking the entire entrance. "I will get security to clear them," Ethan said. "They cannot. My driver alrea

Ethan woke to his phone vibrating nonstop on the nightstand.He checked the time. Six thirty in the morning.Twelve missed calls. Twenty-three text messages. All from numbers he did not recognize.He opened the first text message.*Is it true you're dating Claire Sterling?*He frowned and deleted it. Opened the next one.*How long have you been living in her villa?*Another one.*Sterling Global stock is crashing. Any comment?*Ethan sat up. What was happening?He opened his news app and froze.The top headline was from City Chronicle, published two hours ago:STERLING GLOBAL CEO'S SECRET AFFAIR WITH EX-CONVICT!Below the headline were photos. Clear, high-resolution images of him and Claire at the villa. Claire helping him move in. Claire standing beside him in the doorway. Claire giving them a tour.The article text was worse.*Claire Sterling, CEO of Sterling Global Corporation, has been secretly housing Ethan Cross, a recently released convict, in a luxury villa worth 50 million do

Jacob stared at the carved message, processing Verons's challenge. The tyrant was not running anymore. He was daring Jacob to come face him in a location of Verons's choosing, with the artifacts that would complete the collection and enable the ritual."It is bait," Sarah said unnecessarily. "He wants you to walk straight into whatever trap he has prepared.""I know." Jacob turned away from the throne. "Which is why we are not going to the Temple of Ancients. Not yet. First we deal with his remaining power base in Argo itself."They rode back toward the capital at a more sustainable pace, giving the horses time to recover and themselves time to plan. The rebellion had been growing in their absence, spreading beyond the capital to surrounding cities and towns as news of Verons's weakness traveled.By the time they reached the capital's outskirts three days later, the situation had transformed completely. What had been chaotic mob violence had evolved into something resembling organized

The rebel army moved through the capital with Jacob at its head, a force that grew larger with every block as more citizens joined the uprising. What had started as scattered violence was crystallizing into something more dangerous—organized revolution with clear objectives and competent leadership."The old fortress," Jacob said, studying a map one of the rebels had provided. "That is where Marcus saw Verons retreating. We need to secure it before he can establish proper defenses."But when they reached the fortress location, they found only smoking ruins. Verons had anticipated pursuit and destroyed the structure rather than let it become a staging point for rebels. Bodies lay scattered in the rubble—guards who had not escaped before the demolition."He is staying ahead of us," Chen observed. "Collapsing his own defensive positions to prevent us from using them. Classic scorched earth tactics."Thomas examined the destruction with professional interest. "This was not random demoliti

Anna burst through the warehouse door expecting the worst. She had been gone for over an hour, and Bishop's final warning suggested time was running out faster than anyone realized. If Jacob had died while she hunted his murderer, all of this would have been for nothing.But Jacob was still breathing. Barely. Commander Chen knelt beside him applying pressure to wounds that had started bleeding again, while Marcus monitored his vital signs with mystical senses. Sarah stood guard at the window, watching for threats from the chaotic streets outside."He is fading," Chen said without looking up. "Whatever you did to stop the bleeding is failing. Another five minutes and he will be past saving."Anna did not waste time with explanations. She placed the two artifacts she had taken from Bishop directly on Jacob's chest, then added the ring artifact from her pocket. Three of the five pieces together, their combined mystical resonance creating harmonics that filled the warehouse with golden li

Anna was ready when Bishop charged. Despite her exhaustion, despite having burned through most of her mystical reserves healing Jacob, she still had training and technique that Bishop lacked. He was a manipulator who relied on artifacts and hired muscle, not a true warrior.She sidestepped his clumsy swing and struck his extended arm with her sword, cutting deep into the muscle. Bishop screamed and dropped one of the artifacts. Anna kicked it away across the tower floor before he could recover it."You murdered an entire family," Anna said, her voice cold. "Twenty people killed in their homes because you wanted power and wealth. Children, elders, people who never harmed you."Bishop backed away, clutching his wounded arm while keeping the remaining artifact raised like a shield. "The Krigg family was an obstacle to progress. Verons needed their artifacts to unite Argo and Seron under proper leadership. What I did was for the greater good.""You did it for money." Anna advanced steadil

Anna finally managed to break the blood curse after twenty minutes of sustained effort that left her drained and shaking. Jacob's wounds stopped bleeding, and his breathing stabilized into something that might actually sustain life. But he remained unconscious, and moving him would risk reopening everything she had just sealed."Watch him," Anna told Commander Chen, standing on unsteady legs. "Keep pressure on the worst wounds if they start bleeding again. I will be back.""Where are you going?" Chen asked, though his tone suggested he already knew."Bishop Nico is wounded but alive. He has artifacts three and four. I am not letting him escape with them." Anna retrieved a sword from the pile of weapons they had taken from the armory. "If I do not return within an hour, assume I failed and get Jacob out of the city.""Anna, you are exhausted," Marcus protested. "You just burned through most of your mystical reserves keeping Jacob alive. You are in no condition to fight Bishop alone.""

They made it three blocks from the palace before Jacob's legs gave out completely. Commander Chen caught him before he hit the street, but the blood loss was catastrophic. Bishop's attack had torn through vital organs, and even Anna's healing abilities were barely keeping him alive."Find shelter," Anna ordered, channeling energy into Jacob's wounds. "Somewhere defensible where we can treat him properly."Thomas pointed toward a nearby building—some kind of merchant warehouse with thick walls and few windows. "There. We can fortify that position."They broke down the door and dragged Jacob inside while Anna maintained the healing flow. The warehouse was full of trade goods that no longer mattered—silks and spices and luxury items abandoned when the palace collapsed and chaos spread through the capital.Anna laid Jacob on a clear section of floor and focused entirely on keeping him alive. The wounds were extensive, damage far beyond what normal healing could address in minutes. She wou

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,