"Please, I have to go home." That's what I told the man in front of me. I begged him to let me go, but deep down, I prayed he wouldn’t.
How strange is that? How can I feel safer with a stranger I just met than with the man who was supposed to love me until death? Why does he look at me like I'm the most beautiful thing in the world? Does he see the bruises? Is that why he's doing this?
I shouldn't have left the house, but I couldn't let him win. Not this time. But I hadn't anticipated this.
"He'll never hurt you again." I want to believe those words, but I don't know if I can. What if I'm going crazy? What if it's all a dream, and I wake up back in my nightmare?
I shouldn't trust him, but why does his voice affect me so deeply? Why does he smell like lightning storms and heather?
"Nefretiri? Do you know what a mate is?"
No, he didn't just say that!
Life isn't supposed to be this dark. That's what Nefretiri Jordans believed until her world came crashing down. Her marriage had turned into a game of master and slave, and she would never win. Not when her husband was cruel enough to bring his mistresses into their home and treat Nefera like nothing more than a servant. She wanted to run, but she couldn't. He'd never let her go, especially not with their new daughter. So she had no choice but to live in hell and try to stay sane.
Unfortunately, that fragile line of sanity broke when Ricky went too far, and Nefera made a foolish choice. After all, it was just a cake. Who cared about that?
Fate has a cruel sense of humor, and Nefera quickly learned that nothing happens by chance. What started as a painful but necessary trip to the store turned into an unexpected adventure.
After all, she never put "mate" on her shopping list.
Not that it mattered to Ivan. The Alpha of the Sebryanny Kinzhal pack from Colorado, slowly recovering from a year of hell. All he wanted was peace and to figure out his purpose. The moon goddess had an answer, and she set him up to find the one thing he needed to be saved.
So, when Nefera crashed into his truck, and he saw her, Ivan knew she was his destiny. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't on board and seemed to belong to someone else. If Ivan wanted Nefretiri to be his, he'd need to do more than earn her trust. Dark secrets were waiting to devour both of them, and more than one enemy was lurking in the shadows, ready to claim what they unknowingly held.
Somehow, they must get past their pain to find each other and build something neither believed was possible again. It's time to put the cards on the table and bet it all. If they win, their lives will be more than either could ever dream. But if they lose, the darkness will destroy more than one life.
