Roth: Protector

By Verna Clay

For over two thousand cycles of the sun, Roth Beowolf has completed missions as a Shapeling Protector. The successful completion of his current assignment will usher him into the rank of Shapeling Master. The Thirteen co-Princes have sent him to act as bodyguard to Rainey Childress, spoiled heiress and brilliant scientist. This decisive mission is turning into possibly his worst.

As the only child of Harold Childress, founder of Childress Enterprises, Rainey stands at the brink of an amazing discovery using frequencies to alleviate humanity's suffering. Because of her work and her heritage, bodyguards are a way of life; however, Roth Beowolf is turning into the bodyguard from hell...or is that heaven.

The stories in this series are NOT standalones. Each book solves mysteries, but introduces new mysteries to be resolved in the next story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Verna Clay
• Release date: Jan 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370454419

Verna Clay

"2020 Finalist - Readers' Favorite International Contest (Paranormal Romance) for SOMEWHERE by the Sea.""2014 Gold Medal Winner - Readers' Favorite International Contest (Historical Romance) for Abby: Mail Order Bride."My perfect day: coffee shop; laptop; latte; characters demanding their stories be told; a plot that comes together; and hours to live in an alternate reality.Seriously, I have always loved reading, and now I love writing. As a preteen, I devoured Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mysteries. When I reached my teen years, the romance genre became my favorite and that has never changed. After years of procrastinating, I tried my hand at writing and I've been doing so with a passion ever since. I have written over thirty romance novels and novellas in the genres of contemporary, contemporary western, historical western, fantasy, and paranormal. Because I hate saying goodbye to characters who have lived with me for months, I usually create a series so they can be revisited from book to book. I have also written a Young Adult novella titled "Fragile Hearts" using the pen name of Colleen Clay.

Book preview

SHAPELING TRILOGY

ROTH: PROTECTOR

SHAPELING TRILOGY

ROTH: PROTECTOR

Book One

Copyright © 2011 by Verna Clay

Second Edition Copyright © 2016 by Verna Clay

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For information contact:

[e-mail]

Website: www.vernaclay.com

Published by Verna Clay

Cover Design: Verna Clay

Photo: © Can Stock Photo Inc. / curaphotography

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. And any resemblance to actual person, living, dead (or in any other form), business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

For my friend Carla, who has mastered the art of listening.

Books in the SHAPLING TRILOGY

ROTH: PROTECTOR

Book One

FAWN: MASTER

Book Two

DAVIDE: PRINCE

Book Three

I love exotic locations, and except for the Sacred Cave, all the adventure places visited by Roth and Rainey in Egypt actually exist. As bizarre as they seem, I have attempted to stay true in my descriptions. The historic personages are also real.

Enjoy the adventure,

Verna Clay

[e-mail]

www.vernaclay.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

CHAPTER 2: LESSON

CHAPTER 3: ENCOUNTER

CHAPTER 4: FRUSTRATION

CHAPTER 5: ULTIMATUM

CHAPTER 6: NEW DIGS

CHAPTER 7: FINDING TAHNOON

CHAPTER 8: CARAVAN

CHAPTER 9: ADVENTURE

CHAPTER 10: REVELATION

CHAPTER 11: TRUCE

CHAPTER 12: ACROSS THE NILE

CHAPTER 13: TROUBLE

CHAPTER 14: CONFESSIONS

CHAPTER 15: SETUP

CHAPTER 16: STING

CHAPTER 17: COMFORT

CHAPTER 18: WELCOME HOME

CHAPTER 19: IMPOLITE AND POLITE CONVERSATION

CHAPTER 20: DECEPTION

CHAPTER 21: TRUTH TO TELL

CHAPTER 22: SEEING IS BELIEVING

FAWN: MASTER (EXCERPT)

SHAPELING TRILOGY #2

NOVELS AND NOVELLAS BY VERNA CLAY

PROLOGUE

Roth captured the updraft with his wings, their seven foot span easily maneuvering the razor sharp crags of Ember Canyon. He changed direction and streaked toward the river, iridescent under a full moon. Diving low enough to feel the spray from rapids, he reveled in his mastery of shapeshifting.

Within minutes he would learn what the Thirteen co-Princes considered a worthy, decisive mission. For over two thousand cycles of the sun he had been a Shapeling Protector, but the successful completion of his next assignment would usher him into the rank of Shapeling Master, the second highest honor among shapelings; and again, another round of undetermined sun cycles, with increasingly complex missions and the expectation of one day joining the co-Princes, leaders of all shapelings, would begin. He had no doubt about his abilities. He would not fail.

Roth soared high again, intent on reaching the Cave of Thirteen before sunrise. He arrived in record time. Gently landing and pulling his wings closed, he lowered his head and prayed to the Source, repeating the Prayer of Secrecy he had been taught as a child by his guide. Before the last word in the prayer had been uttered, he no longer had wings or talons, but stood tall on two feet, his raven hair long and whipped by the wind. Pale blue eyes that observed everything stared upward in a gesture of respect for the Source. Wearing only white linen breeches he flexed and stretched his lean muscular form, feeling the rush that always accompanied a shift.

Shapelings, unlike humans, gave no consideration to their looks. Their focus rested in an elusive goal beyond shapeshifting—mastery of wisdom. Honing wisdom, however, presented a two-edged sword—becoming the creature while at the same time maintaining shapeling faculties of awareness. The difficulty in abating the thrill of becoming only the creature required intense practice and concentration over countless sun risings. As a Shapeling Master, Roth would receive increasingly complex assignments aimed at developing wisdom, and eventually, consistent evidence of wise choices would bestow upon him the title of Prince Thirteen, the title his father had been about to receive before his untimely death during Roth's childhood. Relentlessly, Roth pushed himself toward that goal for the sake of his heritage and envisioned his ultimate destiny, reigning as Prominent Prince as his ancestors before him.

He glanced at the glow in the eastern sky. Soon the edge of the sun would appear. He smiled and walked the short distance to the Cave of Thirteen. At the exact moment the sun made its appearance he stepped inside the cave lit by torches. Reverently, he approached the Thirteen and knelt, speaking the Prayer of Respect. May the embers of truth always glow.

Rise, Roth, commanded the Prominent Prince.

Come closer, the remaining twelve voiced in unison.

Roth rose and took the few steps that brought him directly in line with the Prominent One.

You have accomplished your latest mission, Roth. We congratulate you.

Roth nodded his respect. Thank you, Prominent Prince.

Another voice spoke, You are well aware, however, that this next assignment may usher you into the rank of Mastery.

Yes, Prince Two. Roth could not hide his grin.

You have mastered all the creatures of your assignments...

Thank you, Prince Five.

...except one.

Roth's smile faded. Out of respect he did not argue, but his mind raced to understand. He had shifted into a wolf, a lion, an eagle, a horse, an owl, a dolphin, a human, a dog, a tiger, a panther, and multiple others, including reptiles and insects. He had never failed an assignment. He did not understand.

The Prominent Prince spoke. Although your assignments have been successful, we believe you have yet to acquire the full nuance of being human. This next mission will determine if you are ready to begin Missions of Mastery, so it requires you to again shift into a human.

As you command. But may I ask in what way I fell short?

That is something you must discover on your own. We will speak no more about this.

Yes, Prominent Prince. Roth waited for his instructions, quelling the disappointment and frustration trying to vent in his heart. He did not want this decisive mission to be as a human. He had protected and saved the lives of innumerable humans throughout his previous assignments as animals, and also completed many missions in human form; his last one being a Yankee soldier during the American Civil War. He had been sent to protect a man whom the co-Princes believed would change the course of human history. On several occasions, Roth had deflected a bayonet intended for his ward, or pushed him out of the line of fire. He had also saved him from being trampled by a horse, and even gone so far as to befriend him. After the war, however, they had gone their separate ways and Roth had returned to the Cave of Thirteen for his next assignment.

Prince Thirteen spoke. I will now reveal the details of this decisive mission.

CHAPTER 1:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

"No! No way, Father! I don't want another personal bodyguard! Why can't we just have impersonal ones shadowing me?"

This is not open for discussion, Rainey. You know everything changed with your lab's latest breakthrough. Your discovery is so momentous I'm not taking chances on your safety, not even in my own home. I've hired another bodyguard to replace the one you drove away, and that's my final word. He's been interviewed multiple times and his credentials are impeccable. He's arriving tonight and I expect you to be civil when you meet him. Be in the drawing room at seven.

Rainey wanted to scream at her father, but instead, stalked across the terrace toward the double-door entry into the mansion, and jerked it open.

And Rainey...

She paused, but did not turn around.

...don't be late.

Rainey squeezed her eyes tight, opened them, and continued into the house. She would be there, of course, but on time—probably not. She climbed the stairs to her bedroom and slammed the door. She was a prisoner not only in her own home, but in every aspect of her life. Fate and genetics had not only made her father fabulously rich and brilliant, but had bestowed the same gift on her. Or was it a curse? Like father, like daughter. Why wasn't I born more like my mother? Even as the thought popped into her mind, she shuddered. Her mother, a complete airhead, lived a life of endless manicures, pedicures, hair appointments, facials, shopping, and extended vacations. Rainey had never even called her mother by any motherly term. She had always been Stella to her. Years ago, Rainey had decided that her father must truly love her mother to have stayed married to her.

She plopped on the side of her bed and felt the niggling of a headache. By the time seven o'clock struck and she had to meet Mr. Bodyguard, the headache would be full blown. She rubbed her temples and glanced toward her dresser, hoping to see a bottle of aspirin. Instead, she caught sight of her reflection. She looked nothing like her beautiful mother. In fact, at the age of twenty-eight, she almost believed she looked older than her mother. Stella, being a former Las Vegas showgirl, stood tall and slim while Rainey stood short and, if not plump, then well endowed everywhere. Her small waist kept her from looking like a box. She chuckled at the picture she'd painted in her mind and continued her perusal. Even to her own eyes, her brownish-blondish hair drawn back with a clip at the nape of her neck, looked severe and spinsterish.

I may not have been born with beauty, but I made up for it with brains. To a nerd, my genius IQ is very attractive... which is one of the reasons I'm stuck with bodyguards.

She sighed and went in search of the aspirin bottle.

***

Roth accepted the glass of wine from his employer. He swirled the wine and sniffed.

Are you a wine connoisseur, Mr. Beowolf?

Not at all, Mr. Childress.

By the way, why don't we do away with the formalities? You can call me Hank, because I abhor the name Harold, and I'll call you Roth. Is that acceptable?

Certainly, Hank.

Your name is unusual. I can't say that I've ever met anyone with the given name of Roth. Do you know its meaning?

Yes—exalted, tower of strength.

Hank laughed. Well, son, that's exactly why I hired you.

Yes, sir.

But speaking of why I hired you, it reminds me that we're still absent my daughter's presence. I would be remiss if I didn't warn you that she's very averse to having another bodyguard. You're going to have your hands full. May I speak bluntly?

Of course, Hank.

Don't take any of her crap. She's been raised with a silver spoon and knows nothing of the real world. If she had been born less brilliant and more like her mother, I'm sure life would have been quite different for her; not as mundane and ordered. As it is, her brilliance has landed her a top position in my company. And, as you are aware, we are a think-tank organization with multiple patents for amazing inventions, so Rainey, being both a research scientist for Childress Enterprises and my daughter, is extremely wealthy, yet vulnerable. Because of that, and the fact that she's on the brink of what I consider to be the greatest discovery in human history, she must be protected from those who desire not only her money, but her brilliance to be used for nefarious reasons. However, even if she had been born in poverty, I have no doubt she would have made a name for herself among the scientific community and become a very successful woman on her own. Her discoveries in the medical field have eased the suffering of untold millions. She...

Roth wanted to yawn with boredom. He wanted to run into the night and pray the prayer that would shift him into a wolf. He wanted to howl and roam the woods. He wanted...

Is my father boring you?

Roth jolted and turned toward a husky voice. The voice reminded him of the wine in his glass. His first impression, however, was anything but that. His charge was short and round and plain, and she appeared to go out of her way to enhance that effect.

Rainey, it's about time you graced us with your presence, said Hank.

I would apologize if I really meant it, but since I don't, I won't.

Roth glanced from Rainey to her father. Although Mr. Childress turned slightly pink, his facial expression of fatherly patience did not waver.

Roth, may I introduce Rainey, my very tardy daughter. Rainey, this is your new bodyguard, Roth Beowolf.

Roth nodded. My pleasure, Rainey.

You say that now, but I'm sure you'll change your mind in a few days. Although I understand the necessity for protection, I hope my father informed you that I abhor the constraint of bodyguards.

And why is that?

Surely, you're not serious?

Yes, I am.

Rainey gave a humorless laugh. With bodyguards I am constantly in the presence of someone not more than a few feet from me. I cannot ride in a car by myself. I cannot take a walk by myself. Even when I sleep, there is a guard outside my room. If I have a bad dream and cry out, I find myself with a guard hovering over me. Need I continue?

I understand your frustration. But is the possibility of being kidnapped any more comforting?

She ignored his last sentence and her green eyes flashed impatience. How can you understand my frustration? You come and go as you please. You have a life of freedom.

How can you judge my life when you know nothing about me? Roth replied evenly, as he listened to the poor little rich girl and responded automatically. He was growing weary of sparring words with her. He wanted the evening to conclude so he could explore the woods behind the estate. His watch of the spoiled heiress would begin at eight the next morning. He had been hired as the lead guard overseeing two full-timers and two standbys.