Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Mandy M. Roth Featured Books
Administrative Control (Immortal Ops Series)
Dedication
Immortal Ops Series and PSI-Ops Series Helper
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
*
Chapter Eight
About the Author, Mandy M. Roth
Mandy M. Roth, Online
The Raven Books’ Complimentary Material
Administrative Control (Immortal Ops)
by
Mandy M. Roth
Administrative Control (Immortal Ops Series) © Copyright 2014 by Mandy M. Roth
Cover art by Natalie Winters, © Copyright 2014
First Electronic Printing July 22, 2014, The Raven Books
First Print Printing July, 2014, The Raven Books
Edits by: Sue-Ellen Gower & Dianne B.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
All books copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author, Mandy M. Roth.
This novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. This book is intended for a mature audience only. Must be 18 years or older.
Published by Raven Books
www.ravenhappyhour.com
Raven Books and all affiliate sites and projects are © Copyrighted 2004-2014
Mandy M. Roth Featured Books
Immortal Ops Series
Immortal Ops
Critical Intelligence
Radar Deception
Strategic Vulnerability
Tactical Magik
Administrative Control
Separation Zone
Area of Influence
Desired Perception
Carnal Diversions
Zone of Action
PSI-Ops Series (Part of the Immortal Ops World)
Act of Mercy
Act of Surrender
Act of Submission
Act of Security
Act of Command
Act of Passion
Act of Engagement
Act of Pride
Act of Duty
Immortal Outcasts (Part of the Immortal Ops World)
Coming Soon!
Broken Communication
Damage Report
Wrecked Intel
Isolated Maneuver
Intelligence Malfunction
Administrative Control (Immortal Ops Series)
Book Six in the Immortal Ops Series
No one knows just how powerful Colonel Asher Brooks is. It’s a secret he’s fond of keeping. As point person for the Immortal Ops, he has seen just about everything the supernatural community has to offer. That is, until he arrives on the docks in Seattle to find a mess his men didn’t make. Something big is going down there and it means business. His concern is for Jinx, a leggy redheaded succubus who calls the area home. He’s spent centuries denying what he knows to be true, thinking he’s keeping his woman safe and that it’s for the best.
When Jinx calls to tell him she has information for him, he worries the woman who drives him mad with lust might be in danger. He’ll do anything to protect her, even if that means claiming her for his own, whether she’s up for being claimed or not.
Dedication
To the fans of my Immortal Ops Series. Thank you for your continuing dedication for the series. For being with me for over ten years, each step of the way, watching the I-Ops grow and the series expand. And thank you for giving this I-Ops novella a try. Over the years so much reader mail has come in asking for Brooks’s story that I felt it was time to tell it. I hope you enjoy Administrative Control as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. I do recommend this novella be read in order of its release as it does not stand alone as the other Ops stories do and contains information required for the growth of the series.
Thank you to all of you who, for over ten years, have loved reading my tales about eugenics, DNA splicing, mixing animal DNA with human to create a hybrid and/or a super soldier, natural-born supernaturals, paramilitary groups, black ops missions and sexy alpha males within the Immortal Ops World.
Administrative Control was first written to be a 10k word short story. Apparently, the colonel felt he had double that to say.
To my editors, Suz and Bonnie. Thank you for dealing with my hot messes and for never judging my eccentric ways. Without the two of you I’m sure there would be extra body parts, people teleporting and so many other things I’m almost afraid to list them all.
To my besties, Michelle Pillow and Jaycee Clark for always being just a phone call away when I need to hash out a plot problem. And thanks for not saying anything when I trashed over one hundred pages and re-wrote this entire book from scratch because it wasn’t what I wanted it to be.
To my husband, Mr. Mandy, for understanding all the late nights I spend writing, all the days when I can’t remember if I showered or not because my mind is too wrapped up on the story and for always making sure I remember to take time to relax and breathe.
To C, B, and A for being pretty darn awesome.
Thank you,
Mandy M. Roth
Immortal Ops Series and PSI-Ops Series Helper
(This will be updated in each upcoming book as new characters are introduced.)
Immortal Ops (I-Ops) Team Members
Lukian Vlakhusha: Alpha-Dog-One. Team captain, werewolf, King of the Lycans, mated to Peren Matthews (Daughter of Dr. Lakeland Matthews). Book: Immortal Ops (Immortal Ops)
Geoffroi (Roi) Majors: Alpha-Dog-Two. Second in command, werewolf, blood-bound brother to Lukian, mated to Melissa “Missy” Carter-Majors. Book: Critical Intelligence (Immortal Ops)
Doctor Thaddeus Green: Bravo-Dog-One. Scientist, tech guru, werepanther, mated to Melanie Daly-Green (sister of Eadan Green). Book: Radar Deception.
Jonathon (Jon) Reynell: Bravo-Dog-Two. Sniper, weretiger. As of this book not currently mated. Book: Separation Zone (Immortal Ops)
Wilson Rousseau: Bravo-Dog-Three. Resident smart-ass, wererat, mated to Kimberly (Daughter of Culann of the Council) Book: Strategic Vulnerability (Immortal Ops)
Eadan Daly: Alpha-Dog-Three. PSI-Op and handler on loan to the I-Ops to round out the team, Fae, mated to Inara Nash. Brother of Melanie Daly-Green. Book: Tactical Magik (Immortal Ops)
Colonel Brooks: Chief of Operations and point person for the Immortal Ops Team, demi-god trying to right old wrongs. Mated to Jinx. Book: Administrative Control (Immortal Ops)
Paranormal Security and Intelligence (PSI) Operatives
General Jack C. Newman: Director of Operations for PSI, werelion. Adoptive father of Missy Carter-Majors.
Duke Marlow: PSI-Operative, werewolf. Book: Act of Mercy (PSI-Ops)
James (Jimmy) Hagen: PSI-Operative, left the organization on questionable terms ten years ago.
Striker (Dougal) McCracken: PSI-Operative, werewolf.
Miles (Boomer) Walsh: PSI-Operative, werepanther.
Captain Corbin Jones: Operations coordinator and captain for PSI-Ops Team Five, werelion.
Malik (Tut) Nasser: PSI-Operative, (PSI-Ops).
Colonel Ulric Lovett: Direction of Operations, PSI-London Division.
Immortal Outcasts
Weston Carol: Ex-Immortal Op, werewolf.
Miscellaneous
Culann of the Council: Father to Kimberly (who is mated to Wilson). Badass Fae.
/> Pierre Molyneux: Master vampire bent on creating a race of super soldiers. Hides behind being a famous art dealer in order to launder money.
Gisbert Krauss: Mad scientist who wants to create a master race of supernaturals.
Walter Helmuth: Head of Seattle’s paranormal underground. In league with Molyneux and Helmuth.
Dr. Lakeland Matthews: Scientist, vital role in the creation of a successful Immortal Ops Team. Father to Peren Matthews.
Jinx: Magik, succubus, well-known, well-connected madam to the underground paranormal community. Mated to Asher Brooks.
Dr. Bertrand: Mad scientist with Donavon Dynamics Corporation (The Corporation).
Chapter One
Seattle
Jeneathea Isis Nevania Xenia, or Jinx as she was better known, sat at her vintage secretary desk, her attention on the stack of files and pictures before her. The soft glow from the fire burning in her office fireplace illuminated the area, giving it an easygoing, warm feel. Her office was her sanctuary. Very few people were permitted entrance to it. She had another office for meetings, one sparse in furnishings but still higher end. For too many years Jinx had been forced to have all aspects of her life appear to be an open book. When she’d been the property of a madman she’d been forced to be an exhibit on some days and on others his own personal whipping post.
Those times were long gone and she would never permit them to return. No. She was her own woman now. In charge of her life. She belonged to no one. Her business and her body were hers to do with as she saw fit.
Don’t dwell on what can’t be undone, she thought, upset that she’d allowed herself to even start down that dark path once more.
The file before her made her insides twist into a knot. She’d considered burning the materials, but had resisted. The sheer volume was shocking, not to mention what it was all for.
Something she had no business in.
This isn’t your battle, she reminded herself. Yet, she’d permitted herself to be dragged into it.
With a slow breath, she continued to stare down at the information before her. While it might not be her fight, it was her burden now. And if history had taught her anything, it was that when good people stood by and did nothing to right a wrong, the wrong often grew exponentially.
This wrong was big enough as was. It didn’t need to grow out of control anymore than it had.
Not that it even could.
She was in over her head and she knew it. A pit formed in the bottom of her stomach as she leafed through the pages and photos. They had come by her from a source she trusted—one who would never invent tall tales or try to gain attention in any way. It wasn’t information she’d normally find herself in possession of, but things were changing in the paranormal underground.
Honestly, things had been off for some time now. New threats were emerging daily. Enemies who once were unable to be in the same room were now forging alliances, combining resources and causing even more problems for those trying to keep things in order.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
A truer proverb did not exist for what was happening in the paranormal underground. The good guys were losing footing, and fast. If it kept up, they’d lose the war. And with the information in front of her, they had enough internal bullshit to implode, saving their enemies the time and effort of trying to eliminate them.
The Immortal Ops (I-Ops) and the Paranormal Security and Intelligence (PSI) agencies were two of the organizations that tried to maintain order and balance in an otherwise lawless supernatural area. They’d been fighting an uphill battle since their inception. A fair number of PSI operatives utilized the services her establishment provided.
Neither the I-Ops nor their commanding officer, Colonel Asher Brooks had used her establishment’s services. Though she’d wished more than once over the years that Asher had been a client. She couldn’t blame anyone who sought out the services provided by her people. Being immortal could be quite lonely if you’d not found your mate—and very few were lucky enough to cross paths with their one perfect match. A shifter alpha male left unfulfilled and on the loose could easily result in bloodshed if he didn’t keep the edge off his sexual requirements.
She’d seen the aftermath of such “restraint” before. The memory would be with her until her dying day. One didn’t forget carnage such as that.
The worst part had been when the shifter had come down from the crazed state to realize what he’d done. He’d never been the same. Prior to the event he’d been a man who had dedicated his life to fighting evil. For several hours that fateful night he’d been the ultimate evil.
Jinx sighed. So much pain, and more to come with the news she had to break.
A knock sounded from her doorway. She knew without looking who was there. “Come in.”
Aneta, one of her trusted friends and one of the girls who worked for her, entered. Their relationship had never been one of employer and employee. It had always been more like family.
Aneta’s damp, long, dark brown hair hung over one caramel-colored shoulder. The woman wore only the sheerest of nightgowns as she walked barefoot across Jinx’s office. She stilled a few feet shy of Jinx. “Have you looked it all over?”
“There is so much of it,” replied Jinx, sounding as tired as she felt.
She touched one of the file folders, her thoughts going to the I-Ops and PSI once more. Jinx felt a little bad for them. For each victory they achieved, there were hundreds more nutjobs out there hell-bent on world domination and human annihilation. That was always the way of it, since the dawn of time.
She knew.
She’d been around to see more than her fair share of them. A high number of said nutjobs even crossed the threshold of her establishments over the centuries, seeking the comforts her people provided. Funny how her kind was sought after in some respects and shunned in others. Over her lifetime she and her people held many names.
Too many to count.
They’d been labeled everything from harlots to whores. It didn’t matter what brand was placed upon them, what they did never changed.
They gave others pleasure.
They fulfilled sexual fantasies.
They were supernaturals who required sex and sexual energy to live. Most had succubus or incubus blood in them. Some had Fae and others pixie. And others were hodgepodges of various lines of supernaturals who also needed sexual stimulation. All were willing participants and were screened before joining her team. They had to be mentally prepared for what the life would bring as well as physically ready. It would do no good if clients went home unhappy and unfulfilled.
“Thank you for gathering this,” Jinx said. “When he asked for our help, I didn’t know it would open this can of worms.”
Aneta offered a soft smile. “We did it because he asked, Jinx.”
When Jinx had received a call from Asher, asking if she could keep her ear to the ground on any information regarding a second I-Ops team, she had thought it would be easy enough. That nothing much would cross their paths at her club, but that she would do as he asked because it was Asher and she owed him. Long ago he’d done something she knew he regretted but in the end he’d helped her get away, start anew and turn her life around. He made her independent.
When she’d said yes to helping him, she’d had no idea what they would uncover.
“He trusted you enough to ask you to do this,” said Aneta. “And you know as well as I do that no matter what he asked, you’d make sure it was done.”
Jinx blushed. She would. Asher had that sort of sway over her, though she’d never been sure why.
Aneta had been with Jinx so long that Jinx was hard pressed to remember the exact number of years. They’d been through much together. A bond of complete trust lay between them.
Aneta had gathered so much information that it was actually difficult to take it all in. This new material was a game changer. And Jinx wasn’t sure it was going to change anything for the best or not.
She doubted it would help anything whatsoever.
Only time would tell.
Jinx just knew this intel was something others would kill for and kill to keep from coming out. She’d been around powerful people all her life and knew the lengths they’d go to in order to remain in control of their authority.
While her scars were no longer visible on the outside, she bore plenty within. They told the tale of what those who were corrupt would do to those they thought a threat or weaker than them—to those they assumed they could own and command.
It was also why she’d always leaned towards helping those who helped others.
Good guys.
Though they were few and far between.
It was dangerous to possess the material, but that didn’t scare her enough to shred it. Aneta had put herself on the line to gather it and Jinx would make damn sure it found its way to the right hands.
Aneta knew of Jinx’s past. Of the horrors she’d endured at the hands of Fabianus—a sick bastard who had his height of glory during the Roman Empire. Colonel Asher Brooks had played a hand in her coming to belong to Fabianus and in her ultimate release from his clutches. She suspected he had a lot to do with Fabianus’s downfall as well, though he’d never said as much. In truth, after the Fabianus incident Asher had said very little to her for nearly one hundred years. That had long since passed, thankfully.
Administrative Control Page 1