To help a friend, Petra must contact Cheveyo, the mysterious warrior who captured her heart but remains at a distance. He can turn into a leopard, but a deadlier creature now stalks them and threatens the safety of her people. She faces two terrifying tasks: conquer her fear to face their enemies … and risk her heart to cast light into Cheveyo’s hidden darkness.

Cheveyo's name stirs both hurt and anticipation for Petra. He saved her life but walked away from their incredible connection to protect her, something he has never explained. Unfortunately, life is about to get very complicated. And dangerous. Cheveyo is hired to track down a deadly enemy. He tries to keep his emotions out of the job, but when Petra becomes a target, things get personal indeed. He has loved her from afar for years, protecting and watching over her, but now that she must be with him, keeping his heart out of it is a lot harder.

Petra discovers the reason Cheveyo has kept his distance: he hunts otherworldly beings who wreak havoc in the Earth dimension. He has already suffered a terrible loss because of his “job” and would never endanger anyone else. Petra understands that. Heck, she’s a scaredy cat, and a man who hunts creatures with fangs and claws—who becomes a creature with fangs and claws—is definitely not her idea of a dream man.

Except … damn it, he is.

The closer the danger, the more their lives and hearts entwine, the higher the stakes. Petra must find the courage deep within to fight at his side … and Cheveyo must pull every scrap of his strength to keep her safe, both from the enemy and from his own darkness.