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  The four of us took more than half an hour to walk back to the SUV that James and I had ditched at the beginning of our run from the police. Looking back at the trip, it wasn't the smartest thing to have done, but having Alec back had made me feel so secure that I hadn't even thought twice about the possible risks.

  After everything else we'd just been through it hadn't seemed possible that the local police department or even a Coun'hij-suborned arm of the FBI would be able to stop us, not when Alec was capable of dropping them all in their tracks.

  The SUV was exactly where we'd left it. We drove through the night and then once it was light outside James checked it for tracking devices and pronounced it clean. I fell asleep in Alec's arms for the first time in far too long and was content in ways that I'd never been content before.

  Alec was back and I'd been key in bringing that about. Having him back was the most important thing, but I was surprised to find that on some level I'd been hungering for a chance to prove myself. Alec had never uttered any words of reproach about the fact that I'd always been the weaker partner, but it was still something that had unconsciously been weighing on me.

  That weight was gone now. I couldn't stand next to Alec on the battle line in the real world, but I had my own kind of strength, an important strength. I'd held things together in his absence and I'd helped kill Dream Stealer.

  I was still inexplicably conflicted about that last part. It made no sense for me to feel the same kind of gaping hole inside of me now that I'd felt when my dad and Cindi had died, but there was no point denying that it felt almost exactly the same as when I'd first learned of the accident—worse maybe.

  There were new shadows behind Alec's eyes that hadn't been there before he'd been shot. It was all too likely that he was suffering from some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. The timing was bad—we still had a war to fight. Puppeteer was still out there and while the ranks of the Coun'hij's enforcers had been depleted, we'd lost a lot of people too.

  Part of me wanted to tell Alec to take some time and put himself back together, but I knew he would refuse, just like he would have refused the behind-the-scenes role that I'd wanted everyone to believe he'd assumed if we never came back.

  Alec started making calls that next morning when we stopped at a hotel to shower and change clothes. Knowing that the Coun'hij could be tracking us made me a little nervous, but Alec seemed to think that the loss of Dream Stealer had probably thrown them into disarray.

  Alec still referred to him as Dream Stealer, but I couldn't think or talk about him without using the name Taggart. Alec had noticed that, but he seemed content to let me work through my demons on my own if that was what I wanted. For now that was what I wanted.

  We started heading north once we got back in the car, but Alec was unusually reticent about our destination. All he would say was that Mallory, Donovan, Dom, and Addison were all still alive and that we would be meeting up with 'them' soon.

  The where turned out to be a small group of oil rigs in North Dakota. Contrary to what I'd been expecting, the first set of arrivals didn't include a quartet of massive RV's. Instead the convoy that pulled into the shadows cast by the pumps was a motley collection of vehicles, most of which looked like they were on their last legs.

  When Isaac got out of the lead vehicle I ran to him and wrapped my arm around him as a new set of tears started rolling down my face. After a second Isaac returned my embrace, but there was a new hesitancy to his movements, something more than just the normal concern that he'd accidentally break me if he squeezed too hard.

  When Jasmin, Ash and Kristin got out of the next two vehicles I thought I might start hyperventilating. Having so many friends I'd given up for dead turn up alive and well was the best kind of surprise that Alec could have possibly given me.

  Outwardly everyone was exactly the same as I remembered, but beneath the surface I could see that things had changed. Kristin had the same kind of darkness lurking behind her eyes that I now saw so often when I looked at Alec, but that was hardly surprising given what she'd been through before Alec and I had finally managed to kill Taggart.

  Ben was still unconscious and Jasmin had an air of hopelessness to her that was completely at odds with her usual quiet confidence. Nearly as shocking was the fact that she'd arrived accompanied by a vampire named Geoffrey.

  Alec had apparently been aware of Jasmin's unorthodox choice in traveling companions, but nobody had thought to warn James. I thought for a second that he and Jasmin were going to come to blows, but in the end James backed down despite obviously being unhappy about it. There was a new order inside of the pack now and Jasmin was unarguably dominant to James.

  Only we weren't really a pack anymore because Jasmin had her own pack—a ragtag batch of submissives, but they were undeniably ready to back her play when it came to protecting Geoffrey, even if it brought them into conflict with James.

  Isaac was a pack leader now too, which was shocking on a number of levels. He'd never wanted to be the one in charge and was obviously still getting used to the idea. The fact that he seemed to be paired up with Ash's sister was likewise unexpected, but the biggest change was the way that Isaac held himself and the way that everyone treated him.

  Gentle, controlled Isaac was now an object of fear. Whatever had happened in New Orleans had left its mark on Isaac, because nobody seemed more worried about him losing control than he was. I tried to ask Alec what had happened, but all he told me was that Isaac had manifested a power.

  It was yet another impossible event. Mallory had looked Isaac over when he'd been born and declared that he had no possibility of developing an ability, but it was no more impossible than Jasmin manifesting a hybrid form after all these years. I was starting to realize that we'd never really understood the rules the world ran under.

  I caught Alec and Isaac off by themselves a little while after the pizza we'd ordered arrived. They seemed comfortable with each other in a way that hadn't been the case since before Alec had first manifested his power.

  Alec accepted the slice of pizza I brought him and then stared off into the distance for several seconds before turning to Isaac. "Andrew is okay. He's had a rough time of things, but he made it through the last round of fighting unscathed."

  "Thank you, I've been meaning to ask how that went."

  "It was bad—really, really bad. Donovan will be here and able to fill us in in a few minutes, but we're going to need you now more than ever. Your ability may be our only chance of taking Puppeteer down."

  "Isn't there another way?"

  "Not that I see. If there is then I'll take it. What I can promise you is that I won't let you lose control."

  Isaac nodded slowly. "I appreciate that. To be honest I've thought about little else since the fight in New Orleans. I came here ready to swear fealty to you if that was what it was going to take for you to agree to control me."

  "You don't need me to control you, Isaac. Out of all the people who could have manifested your power, you're the only one I trust to keep it under control on your own. You don't need me, but I will serve as a safeguard for you if that's what you want. Fealty or no—I'll still do it. I owe you at least that. I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you needed me."

  Isaac shrugged. "You had valid reasons. It's hard to believe that we're coming to the end of the war. It's only a matter of time now until we find Puppeteer and then it's just a matter of mopping up a few enforcers."

  The shadows were back in Alec's eyes. "I wish that were the case, but now more than ever I'm convinced that we're only at the start of the fighting."

  —The Story Continues—

  Curious how all of the pieces of the Reflection Universe fit together? Check out the Reflections Reading Order Diagram on my blog.

  Publisher's Note:

  If you've enjoyed this book, please consider signing up for the author's mailing list. By signing up you'll receive $10.00 worth of free books. We'll be offering a special discount to exis
ting fans for the first week each new book is live, so signing up for his mailing list will mean that you'll always know about new releases with plenty of time to take advantage of the new release discount.

  Author's Note:

  I hope you've enjoyed Marked—it's been a long, but very enjoyable journey getting to this point and I'm very excited that there are so many more exciting things still to come in the Reflections Universe, things that I've only hinted at so far.

  If you could take a moment and leave a review or two wherever it is you usually buy books, I'd very much appreciate it. Reviews of Broken, Bound, and the Greater Darkness are all especially critical as they are the entry points into the series and your honest review can be incredibly helpful to people on the fence about embarking on the path you're enjoying so much right now.

  Thanks,

  Dean

  Acknowledgments:

  Publishing a novel is a much smaller undertaking than filming a movie, but there is still a tremendous amount of work that goes into the undertaking and it's only right that those individuals who helped make Marked a reality be recognized.

  My wife Katie usually gets named last, but the truth is that she's the first one to help out and her help continues on until long after the publish button is pressed on the last retailer. The only reason I'm able to put in such long hours writing is because Katie puts in even longer hours taking care of everything else in our lives. That by itself would be more than I could rightfully expect, but she goes even further by serving as my very first reader, my sounding board and my cover designer.

  Most spouses would have pulled the plug on this endeavor a long time ago, but Katie keeps looking for ways to make it work, for avenues that will let us keep going just a little bit longer so we can get a few more books out. Thank you, Katie.

  Once Katie got done with the manuscript for Marked it then went to my editors RJ and Amy, who—as they always do—performed small miracles getting this book into a state where it was fit for human consumption. Thank you both for you amazing work and for both being willing to tackle each new book as I write it.

  From there, Marked went to a very special group of four ladies who are some of my absolutely most dedicated fans. Heather, Janelle, Jenine and Mei serve as my very first group of advance readers these days, taking the book once it's through the editing process and providing additional feedback and editing catches. This group often turns a manuscript around in just a few days and each one they touch turns out better as a result of their efforts. I'm profoundly grateful to all four of them for their help in making Marked a reality.

  Next comes my broader group of advance readers and bloggers, many of whom have been with me since the beginning, all of whom are appreciated for their feedback and help, reviews and support. Mom, Dad, Matthew, Shalese, Lachele, Mark, Mimi, Kim, and Merissa, thank you all for your support and help!

  Lastly, I want to give a big shout out to my readers. When you tell a friend about the series or leave a review of one of my books it helps make it so that I can continue writing full-time so that we can all find out what is going to happen next for Alec, Adri and the rest of the Sanctuary Pack.

  Thank you all,

  Dean

  About the Author:

  Dean Murray discovered the joys of reading at a young age and unknowingly ingested unhealthy doses of romance along with his science fiction and fantasy. By the time he realized what had happened it was too late to reverse the process and he spent his formative years (while his peers were still convinced that girls had cooties) trying to convince one specific girl to be his girlfriend to no avail.

  As fate would have it, he's incredibly grateful that he failed in his attempts in second grade because it meant that he was able to eventually find his real happily ever after with his wife Katie to whom he's been happily married for more than six years.

  Dean is the author of seventeen published novels (and a host of short stories), which collectively have more than 480,000 copies in circulation, and he's currently writing six books a year in an effort to create the perfect, larger than life romance story—which he's pretty sure involves either vampire, werewolves, fairies or shape shifters.

  You can find a complete list of Dean's work and keep up to speed on his current projects at DeanWrites.com. If you want to interact with readers who love the series as much as you do, please consider checking out the Reflections Facebook page or Dean's Forum.

  Other Books by Dean Murray

  The Greater Darkness

  (Writing as Eldon Murphy)

  Something powerful is stirring in the darkness. Something so ancient that even creatures who've been alive for hundreds of years have long since discounted this new threat as nothing more than myth.

  Normal humans will be caught in the crossfire, but then that's always the way of things. Geoffrey has no memory of his past life or any idea how to survive in the violent, dangerous world in which he's trapped. Despite his best efforts, he's about to find himself in the middle of a conflict that threatens to sweep away everything, and everyone he's been fighting so hard to protect.

  Bound

  The only thing worse than having no family at all, is having a family that is out to hurt you. That would all be bad enough for a normal 17-year-old, but it's even worse for Alec Graves. A shape shifter's pack, his family, is the only thing stopping the other preternatural creatures out there from killing them.

  Alec's pack isn't just neglectful, he's pretty sure that his father wants him dead. Alec is about to be sent to the front lines of a war between his people and everything else that goes bump in the night. His only chance of survival is to convince everyone around him that he's the perfect soldier, but there are lines that Alec won't cross, not for any price.

  Publisher's Note: Dean Murray's ongoing Reflection Series has been a stunning success with hundreds of thousands of copies in circulation, and a rich, complex world where choices—right or wrong—have real, profound consequences. Unsatisfied with the restrictions imposed on him by writing inside of the conventional series structure, Dean has returned to Sanctuary and the characters so many fans have fallen in love with.

  Bound is the first in Dean's new Dark Reflections novels, an alternate timeline set in the same world and featuring many of the same characters, but with a profoundly different backstory.

  Dean finally answers many of the questions that his most dedicated readers have been asking themselves for years. What would have happened if Alec's father hadn't been murdered by the Coun'hij, how would Adri's life have changed if her family hadn't been shattered in a horrific accident?

  The answers may surprise you, but one thing is for sure; you'll see new sides of familiar faces and when all is said and done, you'll never be able to look at some of them the same.

  Readers new to Dean Murray's writing can start with Bound in the Dark Reflections Series or Broken in the Reflections Series.

  Frozen Prospects

  The invitation to join the secretive Guadel should have been the fulfillment of dreams Va'del didn't even realize he had. When his sponsors are killed in an ambush a short time later, he instead finds his probationary status revoked, and becomes a pawn between various factions inside the Guadel ruling body.

  Jain's never known any life but that of a Guadel in training. She'd thought herself reconciled to the idea of a loveless marriage for the good of her people, but meeting Va'del changes everything. Their growing attraction flies against hundreds of years of precedent, but as wide-spread attacks threaten their world, the Guadel have no choice but to use even Jain and Va'del in their fight for survival.

  CHET: Whispers From the Past

  By Larry Murray

  Meet Charles Tucker, he has spent nearly 30 years living in denial, trying desperately to hide from his past and the events that shattered his heart beyond any possibility of healing. He can't let anyone close, for doing so would open him up to being hurt again, and there's no way he could survive another wounding.

&n
bsp; Meet the Saunders family, new to the neighborhood and teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. Mark, the father, talks a good story but is that all he is? His plan could hold the key to reversing his family's financial misfortunes, or it could wipe out everyone involved.

  Meet Chet, a battered old '64 Chevy pickup that was there on the night Charles' life imploded. For nearly three decades, he has been locked away in an old barn, safely out of sight if not completely out of mind. For 29 years Charles has blamed the old pickup for the destruction of his life, now he's about to find that the vehicle that destroyed his life might be the key to his healing and a journey of unexpected miracles.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Other Books by Dean Murray