Immortal Ops: New & Lengthened 2016 Anniversary Edition Read online

  Contents

  Immortal Ops: New & Lengthened 2016 Anniversary Edition

  Immortal Ops (Immortal Ops) © Copyright 2004 - 2016, Mandy M. Roth

  Mandy M. Roth, Online

  Immortal Ops

  Suggested Reading Order of Books Released to Date in the Immortal Ops Series World

  Dedication and Note from the Author

  Praise for Mandy M. Roth’s Immortal Ops World

  Immortal Ops Series Helper

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Dear Reader

  Immortal Ops: New & Lengthened 2016 Anniversary Edition (Immortal Ops)

  By

  Mandy M. Roth

  Immortal Ops (Immortal Ops) © Copyright 2004 - 2016, Mandy M. Roth

  First Electronic Printing 2004

  Third Electronic Printing 2016

  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. Novel intended for adults only. Must be 18 years or older to read.

  Published by Raven Happy Hour, LLC

  www.ravenhappyhour.com

  Raven Books and all affiliate sites and projects are © Copyrighted 2004-2016

  Mandy M. Roth, Online

  Mandy loves hearing from readers and can be found interacting on social media.

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  Website: http://www.MandyRoth.com

  Blog: http://www.MandyRoth.com/blog

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMandyRoth

  Twitter: @MandyMRoth

  Book Release Newsletter: mandyroth.com/newsletter.htm

  (Newsletters: I do not share emails and only send newsletters when there is a new release/contest/or sales)

  Immortal Ops

  Paranormal Shifter Military Special Ops Romance

  Immortal Ops Team Captain Lukian Vlakhusha is having issues with his newest target, Peren Matthews. His higher-ups want her eliminated. He simply wants her. The alpha side of him demands he claim her—that is, if she’ll have him. After all, he’s what she fears most—a wolf shifter. But there is more to Peren than even she’s aware of and the enemy is closer than anyone imagined.

  Suggested Reading Order of Books Released to Date in the Immortal Ops Series World

  This list is NOT up to date. Please check MandyRoth.com for the most current release list.

  Immortal Ops

  Critical Intelligence

  Radar Deception

  Strategic Vulnerability

  Tactical Magik

  Act of Mercy

  Administrative Control

  Act of Surrender

  Broken Communication

  Separation Zone

  Act of Submission

  Damage Report

  Act of Command

  Wolf's Surrender

  The Dragon Shifter's Duty

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Books In Each Series Within The Immortal Ops World.

  This list is NOT up to date. To see an updated list of the books within each series under the umbrella of the Immortal Ops World please visit MandyRoth.com. Mandy is always releasing new books within the series world. Sign up for her newsletter at MandyRoth.com to never miss a new release.

  You can read each individual series within the world, in whatever order you want...

  PSI-Ops

  Act of Mercy

  Act of Surrender

  Act of Submission

  Act of Command

  Act of Command

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Immortal Ops

  Immortal Ops

  Critical Intelligence

  Radar Deception

  Strategic Vulnerability

  Tactical Magik

  Administrative Control

  Separation Zone

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Immortal Outcasts

  Broken Communication

  Damage Report

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Shadow Agents

  Wolf's Surrender

  The Dragon Shifter's Duty

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Crimson Ops Series and Paranormal Regulators Series (Part of the Immortal Ops World) Coming Soon!

  Dedication and Note from the Author

  To the fans of the Immortal Ops Series, thank you for your continued dedication and for your love of the I-Ops. I can’t believe it’s been well over a decade since Immortal Ops book one was first published (2004) and even longer since it was first written. I will forever be thankful to my father for instilling in me a love of science fiction; to my grandfather for giving me such a love of history that I found myself fascinated with what the world would have been like if events ended differently—or maybe didn’t end at all (hint, hint); to my mother who has always told me to dream big; to my brother who was the first victim (big grin) of listening to me tell tales; to my husband for telling me to keep going, not to give up even when it seemed like the best choice; to my sons who have brought me so much happiness (and a new appreciation for stain removal tips and tricks, not to mention making me quite the skilled cut and scrape fixer); and last but not least, to everyone who has fallen in love with my characters and encouraged me to keep writing. I can’t thank you all enough for your support. In addition, I’d like everyone to remember the men and women in the Armed Services who are, at this very moment, putting their lives on the line for our freedom.

  A note from the author about the expanded editions and what inspired The Immortal Ops:

  Many things combined to create the perfect storm, if you will, for how I came up with the series idea well over a decade ago. Having been heavy into marketing and advertising and then suddenly finding myself needing to stay home to care for my boys, one of whom had additional needs, I was left craving a creative outlet.

  I first tried to get m
y “fix” by playing video games after the boys were asleep at night. I was online and playing the first day Xbox Live launched (November 2002). I found myself getting very into first-person-shooters and military games. The more I got into playing video games, the more I wanted to read about the actual history behind the games. I found myself talking with friends who had served our country. I would devour anything they wanted to offer, listening, completely swept up in it all. Each story shared a common theme—a strong sense of brotherhood.

  This appealed to me, and in a relatively short period of time, I decided to do something about it. That impulse, combined with my love of history, science fiction, the paranormal, and technology, as well as my love of things that go bump in the night, really was a recipe for the Immortal Ops Series to be born from my imagination. From a very early age, I’ve been fascinated with the supernatural, myths and legends. I have always read books that revolve around the supernatural. I cut my teeth on Stephen King, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, and the classics. Two books that made a huge impression on me were The Island of Dr. Moreau, and of course Dracula.

  The more I found myself digging into the history of the military and of world wars, the more I kept getting this thought in the back of my brain, pushing me forward. Urging me to combine both loves—supernatural and history. I thought, what would happen if I took a team of men who were in the military, and they were a paramilitary group, a black ops type of thing, and I combined them with my love of the paranormal?

  The scary part about the Ops series is that it was born from events that actually happened in history, just with a large fictional spin put on it. I asked myself, what if I took from history, from eugenics, which so many assume started in Nazi Germany, and threaded it into the very fabric of the military team? What if I were to take a page from history and the horrible cross-breeding attempts made by Ilya Ivanov and the Nazis to create super-soldiers, who were ape and human hybrids? And what if I were to weave in even more aspects, like cloning, additional genetic engineering, and so on? What if I went a step beyond and brought in other parts of history that revolve around attempts at making super-soldiers or controlling the minds of humans?

  What would happen?

  What would you be left with? How damaged would the men be? What kind of government would do this? What if I were to build off the history of it all, have it where America made super-soldiers behind the scenes, and then drew back and wanted to cut ties and stop everything when Nazi Germany rose and the backlash from that hit, but, in reality, they didn’t stop? And with scientific advances, how would that work? What would it look like? The answer seemed simple to me. Take all these questions to what I felt was their logical conclusion and to also blend in what I love—werecreatures and vampires.

  So the idea to have shape-shifting military men who were created by the government was born. And that was how I came up with The Immortal Ops Series. I started writing in 2000: thoughts, ideas, very short stories, and then full novels and novellas. The Ops were among the first things I put together and it wasn’t long after that I was published (early 2004). My then-editor asked me if I could write something that was third-person point of view, instead of first-person, which I had first been published in. Since I had the Ops already started and the series all mapped out, it was just a matter of getting it to work as a third-person book, rather than first. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could. I’d mapped the series originally to be first-person. It took some elbow grease, but in the end it worked and the first four books were published. Reader support for them has been amazing.

  Sadly, I found I had to cut a lot to make the book fit with word count restrictions then, but I’m happy to report that I have the rights back, and the first four books are being re-released with their original content.

  Thank you,

  Mandy M. Roth

  Praise for Mandy M. Roth’s Immortal Ops World

  Silver Star Award—I feel Immortal Ops deserves a Silver Star Award as this book was so flawlessly written with elements of intrigue, suspense and some scorching hot scenes—Aggie Tsirikas—Just Erotic Romance Reviews

  5 Stars—Immortal Ops is a fascinating short story. The characters just seem to jump out at you. Ms. Roth wrote the main and secondary characters with such depth of emotions and heartfelt compassion I found myself really caring for them—Susan Holly—Just Erotic Romance Reviews

  Immortal Ops packs the action of a Hollywood thriller with the smoldering heat that readers can expect from Ms. Roth. Put it on your hot list…and keep it there! —The Road to Romance

  5 Stars—Her characters are so realistic, I find myself wondering about the fine line between fact and fiction…This was one captivating tale that I did not want to end. Just the right touch of humor endeared these characters to me even more—eCataRomance Reviews

  5 Steamy Cups of Coffee—Combining the world of secret government operations with mythical creatures as if they were an everyday thing, she (Ms. Roth) then has the audacity to make you actually believe it and wonder if there could be some truth to it. I know I did. Nora Roberts once told me that there are some people who are good writers and some who are good storytellers, but the best is a combination of both and I believe Ms. Roth is just that. Mandy Roth never fails to surpass herself—coffeetimeromance

  Mandy Roth kicks ass in this story—inthelibraryreview

  Immortal Ops Series Helper

  Immortal Ops (I-Ops) Team Members

  Lukian Vlakhusha: Alpha-Dog-One. Team captain, werewolf, King of the Lycans. Book: Immortal Ops (Immortal Ops)

  Geoffroi (Roi) Majors: Alpha-Dog-Two. Second-in-command, werewolf, blood-bound brother to Lukian. Book: Critical Intelligence (Immortal Ops)

  Doctor Thaddeus Green: Bravo-Dog-One. Scientist, tech guru, werepanther. Book: Radar Deception (Immortal Ops)

  Jonathon (Jon) Reynell: Bravo-Dog-Two. Sniper, weretiger. Book: Separation Zone (Immortal Ops)

  Wilson Rousseau: Bravo-Dog-Three. Resident smart-ass, wererat. 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. Book: Tactical Magik (Immortal Ops)

  Colonel Asher Brooks: Chief of Operations and point person for the Immortal Ops Team. Book: Administrative Control (Immortal Ops)

  Chapter One

  Captain Lukian Vlakhusha walked through the halls of Immortal Ops headquarters, slightly disappointed to be back to work since he’d only had one week away at his estate in Maine. It had been a much-needed break. He owned nearly three hundred acres of wooded land that served well to keep who and what he was far from the prying eyes of humans. To keep him far from anyone being able to see what went on when he was home—how the woods seemed to burst at the seams with wolves whenever he was there. Or how the howls of packs of wolves could be heard for miles as his followers gave in to the moon’s pull and the need to run and feel the wind on their faces. And most importantly, no humans were close to see those same wolves shape-shift into human form when they were done running free.

  That was a biggie.

  He loved his primary home but didn’t get to spend nearly enough time there. Not with his current obligations and duties. Ones he’d taken on out of a sense of honor, not for need of the paycheck. He came from old money and didn’t require any more. The estate had been in his family for generations, and he saw to its upkeep but felt no need to expand upon it. The main home on the property was big enough as it was. He’d picked up a two-engine plane several years ago to make the distance between his main home and work headquarters a much shorter travel. He didn’t love to fly so much as he liked knowing he was the one in command of his fate, not some commercial pilot who may or may not have tied a few over before a scheduled flight.

  Lukian tried to get home as much as possible, but work kept him busy. He had hired help back at the estate as well as trusted friends who came and went often, helping to oversee things there. His main concern was always his horses. The ironic part of it was,
horses were notorious for being temperamental around supernaturals. He chuckled, remembering more than once in his immortally long life when a horse had decided it wanted nothing to do with him. Once while he was riding one. That ended with Lukian being unceremoniously dumped onto his backside.

  Even with their unpredictability around supernaturals, he kept horses at his estate because he’d always been drawn to them, and while it had taken a while for them to trust him, they’d found a rhythm that worked well for them. They understood he didn’t see them as lunch, and he understood they weren’t at the point they’d let him ride them. At least not yet.

  He chuckled as he thought of the horse he’d ironically named Gentle. It had bitten him several times already and had one hell of a temper. He couldn’t blame the horse. It had been a rescue from an animal hoarder who had barely fed it and kept it locked up. Now, Gentle had wide-open fields and food. And a temper.

  Lukian grinned. The horse had earned its foul mood.

  He drew in a long breath, missing being home more and more as of late. He had a place not far from headquarters, but it didn’t feel like home. It was simply somewhere he used to lay his head. It wasn’t what Maine offered him—the privacy and all the acreage where he could let his inner beast out to run free. As a natural-born wolf shifter, or lycan as he preferred, he had to be sure to care for his beast side or run the risk of it overpowering him. He’d seen it happen to countless alpha males who thought they had a handle on their animal side, and it wasn’t pretty.