SNEAK PEEK of TAC: The Healer!!!

 The Allegheny Chronicles: The Healer releases on Saturday, November 15, 2025!!! Did you want a sample?

 

Prologue

Fall 1991

The young woman’s dark hair was tucked behind her ears as she stared at the urn displayed on the table before her. Her eyes memorized every detail of it. It was ceramic with a blue glaze and a lid. He had loved blue. Surrounding the urn were pictures in frames, as well as flowers and candles. Her eyes rested on the face of the young man in the photo.

This didn’t seem real.

It didn’t seem real at all.

Three days ago, he had been so alive—So vibrant, so happy, so confident. He had always been that way. She had been honored to be his match, and since that day four years ago they had been one. Four years. It hadn’t been enough time. It wasn’t fair. Three days ago… She remembered the look in his eyes as he said goodbye to make a journey he had taken over a hundred times before.

Being a widow at nineteen wasn’t in her plans at all, especially at this stage. She was nearly three months pregnant with their first child and hadn’t begun to show yet.

Behind her, the conversations were at a murmur.

Behind her, they were planning her future.

Behind her, there was urgency.

Behind her, the clan didn’t feel the heartache she felt. They lost the protégé. She lost her world, her future. And yet she would be expected to show little to no emotion. The clan did not tolerate senseless emotions.

But all she wanted to do was hold onto every last memory she had with him.

“Inés,” her mother said, guiding her from the table. “They have decided.”

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and walked weakly to where her father, uncles, aunts, and other family members were sitting. She was given a seat and her uncle tilted his head and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“You are pale, Inés,” he said, looking concerned. “You need to eat. You need to keep your strength up for the baby.”

“I know,” she said, feeling the tears roll down her cheek. “I understand.” Her eyes went to her mother-in-law, who stared at the floor, tears in her eyes. Her father-in-law stood behind her, a frown on his face.

Loïc Allard took in a deep breath. “The humans have tentatively ruled the incident an accident. But from Bastien’s testimony, it was premeditated murder. They even had the presence of mind to get out of the car and take a photograph of Étienne as proof.”

“They were likely thinking they were getting both Léon and Étienne,” Laurent Barbier said, frowning.

Jules Guérisseur took in a deep breath. “They might know about Inés but not the unborn child. No one outside of the elders and the parents knows about the unborn child.”

“We have to proceed as if they do,” Loïc said, frowning as he looked at Inés’s parents, Pierre and Suzette, then at Étienne’s parents, Jules and Agathe. “The unborn child is now the protégé heir -- our future. It is necessary we do what they least expect us to do; the last thing in the world we would do with such a precious gift from Étienne. We must hide it until we know for certain that this child will be the apprentice. As the elder Spirit Walker, I concur that we must have Inés marry a chosen replacement who is human as soon as possible and hide this child away from the clan. They will continue to come after Léon. If we have only him to protect, and the child ‘lost’ to the clan, banished as a half-blood in the eyes of the others, we will be able to keep them both safe until it is time to bring the child back.”

The grave silence in the room made it obvious the choice was unpopular.

Pierre Jardinière’s eyes went to his daughter, then back to Loïc. “Do we get a say in who this human will be?”

“I think we should,” his brother Léon said. “My protégé is now in this child’s generation. This human we choose has to be someone we can control, someone who respects us.”

“Oui, but also this human cannot ever know the child is not his. He will have to believe the child is his, and it must happen quickly,” Laurent added.

Pierre looked at his daughter. “Inés, of the humans at the culinary academy, is there one that resembles Étienne?”

Inés only took in a deep breath. “I have not had the reason nor the need to look at them all.”

“I am aware of one,” Agathe Guérisseur spoke up. “He is a first-year student. He is American. His family are bakers. They have been in the profession for generations. He wishes to please us because he wants to make his family proud.”

“Then we shall start our deception,” Laurent surmised. “Léon, Pierre, Jules… check him out. Be sure he will be the correct candidate. And Inés, your mourning in public shall be over. This man should never learn of your union with Étienne. You will need to charm this American so that he falls in love with you.”

Suzette frowned. “It is for the future of our clan that this is done, Inés.” She looked at her daughter.

“Yes. It is not what any of us want,” Jules said, frowning. “But since Aidric is still missing, and the other clans are silent and lost, we may be the last clan in this world. We have to protect our future. Étienne’s child is our hope.”

Inés wiped away her tears, took in a deep breath, and raised her head. “It is for the future of the clan that I will do this. But I shall never forget what the Disavowed have done to my husband and our clan. It is my greatest hope that our child is the Healer and that, in its generation, there is the Warrior. Together they will connect the clans and crush the Disavowed. I will find comfort in knowing that my child will avenge Étienne.” She exhaled and said, “I will do whatever it takes to see that is done.”

“Then tonight we will go to Chêne Creux and tomorrow, you shall meet this human,” Loïc said, nodding. “Your sacrifice will not go unnoticed, Inés. You and your children will always be taken care of by the clan. Always.”

Inés nodded, rose from her chair, and calmly walked out of the room. Her eyes went back to the photos and the urn on the table as tears filled her eyes. Her life was never going to be the same without him.

Chapter 1

 

Morning, February 6, 2023

 

Gia Bennington felt as if she were disconnected from the reality she was in. Nothing that had been happening to her was supposed to be happening to her. It just wasn’t done.

A mere four days ago, she had woken up in the travel trailer she shared with her fiancé, Mason Beaudrie, at his grandparents’ ranch. She had breakfast with him, then ‘helped’ him get his work gear on… Well, it was just really an excuse to touch and tease him rather than actually helping him. Then she kissed him goodbye and set to work writing her Ash Cooper novel.

Hours later, the knock came on the door.

And from that moment on, it was as if she had set foot in an alternate universe.

Nothing had made sense since that night.

Now, four days later, here she was. In some kind of huge military jet, surrounded by Marines. She had been invited to join Colonel Bradley Wheeler and his officers as they flew home to a Marine base. It had been a long, tiring past few days. She was mentally numb and in need of a shower and her own clothes. She was still wrapping her mind around the fact that she had been abducted. She had been questioned, or debriefed as they called it, by Wheeler, by a man from the FBI, and a man from the U.S. Marshal Services. Then she was questioned by a liaison for the State Department. She never quite caught his name. It was all just one unbelievable blur. They all wanted to know one thing: Why did the mercenary group kidnap her?

“The only reason they gave me was that my fiancé is a war criminal,” she told them, feeling overwhelmed. “But he’s not. They showed me papers as evidence and then burned them.”

Their expressions remained skeptical.

“But did they ask you to do anything, Ms. Bennington? To deliver anything or make any statements? Post anything on social media for a cause?”

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “Nothing. They said they were paid to rescue me from my fiancé. They thought he was coming to get me.”

And obviously, that didn’t happen, she thought.

She saw each of her interviewers scratch their heads as they looked at the papers in front of them. Even though she didn’t have her glasses or her contacts in, their notes were still close enough that she saw Mason’s name jotted down with an arrow. She saw they had written, “Pull DD214 on Beaudrie. See if further investigation is warranted.”

Gia couldn’t even fathom what those sentences would mean for Mason. Gia’s eyes had instead gone back to the blurry world around her. None of this felt real. She felt unemotional, disconnected, and unwilling to accept this reality . Even now, hours after those interviews, sitting on the large jet bound for somewhere in the U.S., Gia’s mind reviewed what had happened. She saw it every time she closed her eyes. The struggle. The bag on her head. Muffled hearing. Being hastily moved from one car to the next. Then nothing until she was dragged out of a private jet and into the hot, humid place of wherever she had been.

She was a mystery author. Things like this weren’t supposed to happen to her in real life.

Captain Brandon Nevis leaned over and asked her how she was doing. She could tell by his look that he knew she was feeling out of sorts. She only blinked, took a breath, and looked at him, giving him a shrug in response.

Nevis was a kind man—several years older than her—and good looking, with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and an easy, comforting smile. He mentioned he was originally from Nevada. Major Kevin Fortner sat on the other side of Nevis. He was staring at something on a tablet. Fortner didn’t talk much. He was just rather indifferent toward Gia. But Nevis was friendly and distracted her, making the flight go faster. He asked about her books and her writing process and then they talked about which books they liked to read and the authors they enjoyed reading the most. Gia enjoyed the distraction, knowing he was doing this out of kindness, not flirtation.

Men didn’t usually flirt with Gia. It wasn’t that she lacked beauty—Mason had called her gorgeous since they were teenagers—but she’d never quite believed it. Her long, dark hair fell in loose waves that were the color of dark milk chocolate and her warm brown eyes struck her as plain compared to the striking blue or green she saw in others. Average height, average build, at least that’s how she saw herself. She always thought she lacked the curves and the cup sizes that got attention, so she often hid her shape… which wouldn’t get her noticed. Of course, Mason said it was because guys were intimidated by her but she would laugh him off. Her intimidating? Nope. She just was guilty of hiding—in a book… in her writing… in an oversized sweatshirt… or with her two best friends. Still she appreciated Captain Nevis’s easy conversation, talking about books at thirty thousand feet.  

Colonel Bradley Wheeler was also a nice and friendly man, even though there was something about him that Gia didn’t trust. When they had first spoken yesterday, Gia had also casually asked Nevis and Fortner if they happened to know Mason, but like the colonel, they both shook their heads. Well, she could accept that—it wasn’t like the Corps was small.

“Your parents are going to be there when we land,” Wheeler updated her after one of the younger Marines had paused to speak quietly to him. Wheeler was an older man, in his fifties, with the stereotypical military man look.

“They must be incredibly worried about you,” Nevis commented to Gia.

“I cannot wait to see them,” Gia admitted. “I feel like I’m living someone else’s life. Will my fiancé be there too? Do you know?”

“Why wouldn’t he be?” Nevis shrugged. “What’s he do?”

“He’s in law enforcement,” Gia said. “He and my dad don’t get along, so I can’t imagine my dad letting him tag along.” She paused then admitted to Nevis. “You know, my fiancé was a Marine for nine years, so it’s rather ironic you’re the ones who found me. I can’t help but envision him doing things like this. He loved being a Marine.”

“What was he? Which company was he with?”

She shrugged and shook her head. “You know, I don’t know which company or anything like that but Mason was with the 2nd Marines.”

“Ah. Ok,” Nevis nodded. “Infantry.”

“Yeah.”

“When did he get out?”

“Um… 2019, I think,” she said. “I mean, we were just best friends back then so, I really didn’t pay much attention to what he did. Not as I would now.”

Nevis just nodded and gave her a smile. “He talk much about his time in?”

“Nope. Not at all,” she let out a sigh. “You’d never know he served at all. He was going to make it his life—he loved it so much—but he doesn’t talk about it at all.”

“Strange,” Nevis narrowed his brows. “Did he say why he left?”

“His dad got hurt and his family needed him,” she said, then paused. “How long have you been with this…um… unit?” she asked, motioning around with her hand.

“About six years now,” he told her. “Colonel Wheeler is the best to work for. I love what I do.”

“I imagine so.” She gave a polite smile as her eyes went to the patch on his shoulder. “What unit is this? I mean, if Mason was with the 2nd, what’s this one called?”

“The Marine Raider Regiment.”

“Oh. So… Is that like the Army Rangers or Navy SEALs of the Marines?” She was very aware that this regiment was what her captors claimed Mason had been with.

He smirked at her description but nodded. “If that’s how you want to equate it.”

Gia shrugged. “You know, I see and hear about them on TV and in movies all the time. I don’t know what any of them actually do.”

He let out a deep breath and nodded, then fell silent. Her eyes ventured around. She had spent most of her time with them watching how they interacted, moved about, and what they did. They all seemed very normal and she kept thinking about Mason in their position. If her captors were correct that Mason had been in this regiment, had he done things like this? Is that why he never spoke of it?

Thirty minutes later they were on the ground and taxiing to where some hangars were. It was a very busy base, with jets and helicopters crowding the tarmac and hangars. Fortner and Nevis collected their bags and then escorted her with Wheeler to the door of the jet, helping her down.

Knowing her parents would be there, her eyes immediately searched for them, finding them about fifty yards away with an MP escort. Gia ran to her parents and wrapped her arms around her mother. Charles encircled the both of them. It was a long, tearful hug. When they parted, Gia wiped her eyes and turned toward the three men who trailed after her.

“Dad, Maman, these are the officers of the Marines who rescued me,” she motioned. She then introduced them. Estelle did not let Gia go as she profusely thanked them. As soon as Charles was shaking their hands and thanking them, Estelle looked Gia over.

“Are you hurt? Did they try to hurt you in any way?”

“No, Maman. I mean, I have bruises on my wrists and everything but no, they didn’t hurt me,” she shook her head. “I was put in a hotel room and they even fed me.”

“Are you positive you’re okay?” Estelle asked, meeting her eyes. Gia could see the fear in them.

“Yes. I am,” Gia assured her.

“Gia, sweetheart, I am so happy you are okay,” Charles had apparently allowed the officers to move on. As he hugged her, Gia saw Mason standing several yards away, having a conversation with Wheeler. She was expecting to see happiness, camaraderie, and respect. But from his body language, Mason was guarded and untrusting while Wheeler looked uncertain.

She couldn’t hear what they were saying because Charles knew she finally realized Mason was yards away. “Mason being here is a courtesy for you. You are going to break your engagement with him today. It’s over.”

“No, Dad,” she shook her head as she parted from her dad.

“Gia, it’s for the best.” Charles insisted.

Gia shook her head again as she heard the colonel say to Mason, “You must have me confused with someone else.”

Mason’s cool tone drifted back to her as he said, “Not at all, sir. I see you still have the double mint twins behind you. Fortner, Nevis, here I was hoping you two had that operation to remove your noses from the colonel’s ass. But now I realize you are both just an extension of his ass.”

“Screw you, Beaudrie,” Nevis replied with disdain.

“You’re not my type, Nevis,” Mason chuckled, completely unbothered by the sharp glare Fortner and Nevis directed at him.

Now, Gia was thoroughly confused. The officers had claimed they didn’t know Mason, yet Mason clearly knew them.

“Gia, you don’t have a choice,” Charles told Gia, getting her attention back. “If you don’t end the engagement at least dial it back. You have no idea what is going to happen in the next several months. He’s bad news.”

“Let me handle my own life, Dad,” Gia told him, her eyes going to her fiancé. The tension in her softened as she took in his appearance. Mason Beaudrie had always called himself ordinary, average, and nothing worth a second glance. But to Gia, he had only grown more striking with time. His dark hair, trimmed short in the same no-nonsense style he’d worn since the military, framed a face that had matured into handsomeness. He stood tall, his once-lanky frame now solid from ranch work and discipline. In his younger years, other women passed him over, but now, at thirty, he drew second looks from a lot of women. And every time that happened, Gia’s smile deepened because he was entirely hers.  

Mason now turned his attention to her and she saw him smile. He was genuinely relieved to see her. She couldn’t help but smile too as she quickly went to him and felt his arms wrap around, her. She instantly felt safe. Protected. Whole.

“I’m so sorry,” he told her quietly. “I should’ve been home with you. I should’ve figured they’d do that. I should’ve…”

“How could you have known?” she asked, knowing he blamed himself for what happened.

“I don’t know. I just should’ve.”

“Look, I’m here, I wasn’t hurt,” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I missed you.”

He leaned in and gave her a kiss. When they slowly parted, neither let go. He was focused one hundred percent on her.

“Did you know those men?” Gia looked beyond him to where Wheeler and the others had gone. 

Continue the adventure on the 15th of November at Amazon on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, and hardcover. Coming to Audible by Christmas!!

There is always an adventure in an Em Brooks book!! Thank you for coming along.