Lord Protector Novel

The Tulle’s reputation as the number one global organized mercenary group was not unearned. Their efficiency in search and rescue operations were unparalleled.

It took them barely three days to unearth Lacey’s trail after she disappeared.

On the far outskirts of Atheville, there was a tiny town so remote that it only had one village. The village was Ascot. Three days ago, a fairy had descended there.

The girl who arrived could truly pass for a fairy from the heavens, that much was true. She had a graceful figure, a face that could move the very heavens itself, and an ethereal aura unique only to her.

She arrived quietly, spending an impressive amount of money to rent one of the holiday villas in the tiny town.

By night, she rested in the villa.

But by day, she perched daintily on a large rock by the mouth of the village, admiring the lush mountain scenery quietly.

The sight of her distant beauty as she admired the scenery easily surpassed any other exquisite scenery the world offered.

It was not much of a surprise then, that the young lads in the village would clamor to watch the “scenery” of the fairy admiring the actual scenery whenever they had any free time.

Ever since he laid eyes on a photograph of the ‘fairy’, Zeke knew with aching certainty that Lacey was the fairy.

The photograph they had given him was just a side profile, and not a very good one at that, but her aura and quiet sense of ethereality were unmistakable. It was Lacey.

Without wasting another second, Zeke jumped into his car, gunning it straight toward the tiny village of Ascot.

In Ascot, Lacey went about her usual routine, hiking to the entrance of the village to admire the wide expanse of scenery before her.

She was well-aware of a couple of village boys ogling her in the distance, enchanted by her.

Resisting the urge to sigh, she returned her attention to the scenery. Even the elderly population of the village were abuzz by her arrival, claiming that she was definitely a fairy stricken by a disaster in the heavens, escaping to the earth.

After all, there was no other explanation for a girl with such unearthly beauty appearing in their tiny village.

Truthfully, Lacey could not find it in her to be interested in the view. The scenery was beautiful, but she was very much alone and that leeched any possible contentment she would have felt, leaving only a numb feeling of tasteless repetition.

If only Zeke was beside her. She imagined the joy of being able to share in the stunning view with him.

Just one day would be enough.

Even if the cost were the rest of her life, she would still gladly trade it for that one day.

It did not change the fact that she was acutely aware that her thoughts were just a dream and nothing more.

Her decision was made. She would never reveal her whereabouts to Zeke. She could not bear to put him through the same pain she had already suffered.

She would rather endure it all alone.

The sound of her phone vibrating startled her out of her reverie.

It was a new phone, the one she was using to alleviate the boredom of the short remainder of her life.

Pulling the phone out of her pocket, she realized it was a news alert. The headline was from Penguin Media.

The Great Marshal Summons the Tulle to Eurasia in Search for His Beloved.

Lacey felt her heart twist painfully.

Zeke must be looking for me all over the world by now.

She blew out a breath frustratedly, thinking about the shitty nature of the world.

Where was the happy ending for the two destined lovers where they grew old together, hand in hand to the end of their days?

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, a wretched voice sounded by her ear.

“Hey, sweetie,” the voice leered. “Aren’t you lonely, standing there? How about some company, huh?”

Lacey jerked her head around to see Yael Allwine, the village gangster.

He was not just notorious in Ascot, but in all the nearby towns as well. Lecherous to a fault, Lacey knew that many young women from upstanding families had fallen victim to his assault. He was the worst kind of man there was.

Lacey knew she was beautiful. She was also very aware of the fact that she was alone, and Yael was staring at her like a piece of meat.

“Get out of here and leave me alone.”

Yael did not leave. Instead, he seemed to take her rejection as an encouragement, moving toward her and trying to grab her arm.

Lacey ducked aside quickly, feeling a rising sense of disgust.