The Orphan Keeper Novels & Stories

“Somehow Scott’s tied into this thing besides being your lawyer.” I sighed. “Do you think he could also be working for Bonner?” “Nothing would surprise me about Scott. What do we know about him?” “We know he’s my attorney and that he graduated from Wake Forest Law School.” “And he once told me he was raised in an orphanage.” “But the article said that the McGillikin raised at that orphanage died in a wreck.” “And he doesn’t look like the man in the photo, either.” The computer dinged and a message appeared on the screen. New mail has arrived. Would you like to read it now?

When he got closer, I realized it wasn't a piece of paper, it was a photograph. Liam was spread out on what looked like a hospital bed. He had stitches on his head and his arm was in a cast resting against his bright blue gown. And IV was sunk into his skin, no doubt feeding him water and medicine. He's alive. Tears burned the back of my eyes, but I pushed them away before they would fall. “What do you want?” I asked, catching my composure and lifting the knife again, clinging to the picture with my other hand. “I have to tell you who we are to answer that. We call ourselves the Anti-Keepers Organization. The AKO locates and destroys the Keeper's locations and saves those that are in there.

An old man, his hair white as ash, his eyes glowing faintly blue. Racheal’s breath caught. She didn’t know him, but her bonds reacted violently—the golden thread inside her tightened, and the crimson one snarled. Both Damon and Lucas stepped in front of her at once. “Who are you?” Damon demanded, his voice like steel. The old man raised his hands slowly. “Not an enemy,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of something ancient. “I am the Keeper of the Broken Oaths. And if you wish to survive the hunter’s return, you will need to hear what I know.”

he replied, his voice warm. “And why do you say that?” Aislen found herself smiling back at him. There was something entirely engaging about him, she thought, something that sucked a person into his warmth and made them want to confess to all manner of things. Not a werewolf, she tried to think logically. No, Leighton Richard wasn’t a werewolf, nor was he a vampire. But he was something… something supernatural. “Because, I am not,” he replied. “You are the Secret Keeper.”

Light from the lanterns flickered across two figures pressed against each other. The boy with brown hair Arlo caught in a moment he shouldn’t be. The other, a groom’s son, smiling as if nothing mattered. Nikolai’s mind went still. The instinct to command, to control, to protect—if not himself, then the order of his world rose sharply. He did not step forward immediately. He simply watched. Confusion warred with something more primal. Jealousy? Disgust? Possession? He could not name it. Arlo POV

In front of both of them, I dialed a number. "There's trash here. Send someone to clean it up." I had just sent one set of trash away. Then the doorbell rang again. When I opened it, Joe stood there with a smile. He set a parcel on the table—supplements good for a succubus, meant to ease the agony of my heat. They were rare and precious; he'd thought to bring them. "Have you decided?" he asked gently. "Want to consider a new master? I'll take responsibility."

These beastkin, though pitiful, were widely regarded as wild and untamable. Those rescued by official organizations could be adopted for free, while unclaimed beastkin were disposed of humanely. "If you're regretting it, I know where he lives," came a deep voice from behind me. I gasped, frantically dimming my phone screen before turning to meet Clayton's dull eyes. He lowered his gaze, avoiding my eyes. "But he's part of an organization, so he probably won't be willing to give you your money back. While he's alone, I might be able to—"

… Epilogue. After the light took me, I refused to move on. The woman in charge of the afterlife did not know what to do with me, so she asked her supervisor for special permission to let me watch over my family. Dad quit his job and found one closer to home. Mom stopped working to stay with Danny full-time. Danny stopped getting into trouble. He became quiet and obedient, just like I used to be. The house settled into a strange kind of peace, as if I had left but also stayed.

The Dreamer chuckled. "You were always my most stubborn creation." The Keeper looked mildly offended. "I preserved all existence." "You argued with me for three thousand years." "Those are unrelated matters." The gathering laughed. The Dreamer smiled warmly. "Thank you." The Keeper froze. The simple gratitude seemed to affect it more than anything else. After a long moment, it bowed its head. "And thank you." The Dreamer nodded. A quiet understanding passing between them. Then came Orion. Then the First Queen. Then Elias.

"I assume you have news, Fox? This is my second-in-command, Jackdaw, and one of my researchers, May." Fox nodded, interlacing his pudgy fingers. "Rumors are true. The valorians have a new keeper - a dragon keeper." I sucked in a sharp breath. A dragon keeper? They were impossibly rare. Hunter's eyes narrowed. "Go on." "A young woman, half aldorian. Her father was banished years back for radical ideas." Fox lowered his voice. "If she officially bonds with the dragon, well...you know the old laws." Hunter muttered a curse under his breath. My own mind was spinning wildly. Dragon keepers always married the fort commanders as part of the bonding ritual. Which meant...