The Protector is the story of widower Alex Taylor. He’s a weredog, which in this world are known as “Protectors,” who are always bonded to their non-shifting companions known as “Handlers.” His husband, Theo Taylor, was a police officer and they worked together as a team until Theo was senselessly gunned down and killed three years ago. Alex, who was not supposed to survive the death of his Handler, is living a half-life in mourning and is considered a freak of nature for surviving Theo. Lonely and bitter, Alex is not prepared at all to find himself unexpectedly bonded to an up-and-coming Handler named Marcus Stephanek. Attracted to the younger man but resentful of their bond, Alex pulls further into his grief.

Marcus is a driven Handler who at 26 has passed his prime for bonding and is faced with the prospect of never finding his Protector until the day he ends up matched with the most unlikely bond-mate ever, the elusive and controversial Protector Alex Taylor. Unhappy with the idea of being bonded to an older man who does not share Marcus’s sense of ambition, Marcus finds himself falling in love with the broken but gifted Protector despite himself.

They are brought together by their bond, but greater forces are in motion around them. What makes Alex so special? Why did he survive his Handler’s death when no Protector ever has before? Why was he the youngest Protector to manifest in history? No one knows but people want to find out, and are willing to kill for the secret. Alex and Marcus struggle with their own complicated feelings while a villain waits for the perfect moment to strike.

Coming this spring!

Cover art and design by the talented Reese Dante!