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Her chest swelled with a breath of hope.

Liam.

One

Six months later…

Down a deserted road,lurking on the outskirts of polite society, Howlers was the sort of place the human authorities preferred to ignore. Bikers had been known to stroll inside, turn on their heel, and head back out. Despite its duct-taped stools and faded pool tables, criminals and outcasts of the underworld considered it a refuge. It was in that bar Alexandra Stevens had never felt more at home.

She propped a glitter-encrusted paper umbrella on the rim of the glass and slid it across the bar top. Liam had purchased the tacky embellishments for ladies’ night. Whereas the ladies were unimpressed, their regulars couldn’t get enough of the high-octane concoction. “There you go, one Purple Mamba, heavy on the Mamba.”

“Thanks, honey.” The bearded customer paid for his drink and shoved a single coin in her direction. “Keep the change.” He winked one eye, the other hidden behind a patch.

“Wow, a whole quarter. Gee, thanks, mister.” Alex smiled until he was out of sight, then examined the silver bracelet she’d swiped off his wrist. Sterling. Nice. She tucked her spoils into the pocket of her jeans. Lucky for her, she had the fastest hands in town since the tips here were shit.

Creedence Clearwater’s “Bad Moon Rising” blasted from the static-riddled speakers of the aging jukebox. Tables of rowdy customers belted out the chorus. The brain-thumping noise rattled the yard-sale treasures nailed to the walls.

G24. She hated that song.Freaking werewolves.

She grabbed a towel and wiped glitter from the bar. While none of their customers could carry a tune, at least she wasn’t the onlyfreakin the crowd. At Howlers, abnormal was the norm, so Alex fit right in.

Thank God, Liam finally agreed to let her work for him, although she could count on one hand the number of times he’d uttered the word “no” to her.

The domineering vampire had been watching out for her since she was a child. Still, when the auctioneer shouted “sold” at that nightmare of an auction, she’d had little hope of being rescued. Just thinking about it caused her stomach to clench, and her circling hand slowed. She never should have doubted him.

Over the years, Liam had been more than her protector. He’d been her friend, her family, her confidant. To an impressionable child with a head full of fairytales, he’d been her knight in shining—

“Tell your boss he can kiss my hairy bullocks!” Liam’s bellow echoed from the hallway.

Her shoulders hitched. So what if her knight’sarmorwas rusty, riddled with bullet holes, and probably stolen.

Two disheveled men in suits emerged from the backroom, Liam’s bulk close on their heels. Dark jeans encased his thick thighs, and his heavy biker boots pounded the floor. With his Viking mohawk pulled back in a rubber band, the vein pounding in his shaved temple was even more pronounced. When he passed, several of the bar’s patrons crossed themselves, muttering prayers.

He shoved one of his visitors in the shoulder, and the guy stumbled with a flash of fangs. Liam responded in kind, baring enormous incisors, a classic mine-are-bigger-than-yours move.

The smaller man scrambled for the exit while Liam plowed behind him, head down like a rampaging bull. Heavy muscles bulged beneath the straining fabric of his thermal shirt, promising pain to anyone who got in his way.

“Get your rotting carcasses off my property. Who the hell do you think you are, coming in here, making threats inmybar? You can tell that dickless sack of monkey-shit, the next time he wants to give me an ultimatum, he better do it in person.”

The squealing vampire sailed out the front door, propelled by Liam’s size thirteen.

Alex grinned and sprayed a shot of lemon cleaner on the bar. Liam had done the same to her high school crush, Blaine Sanders, right after the boy pinned her against his car for a slobbery goodnight kiss. More than once, Liam’sprotectionhad put a strain on her social life. Not thatAlex the Freakhad much of a social life to begin with.

Liam followed his guests outside, and she shook her head, struggling to muster even a twinge of sympathy. Anyone stupid enough to mess with a vampire who was built like the circus Strong Man deserved to be pounded into the ground like a tent stake.

She resumed her cleaning with lazy circles, gaze drifting to one of four flat-screen televisions hanging on the wall. Subtitles scrolled at the bottom of the muted picture. A somber reporter relayed breaking news while police secured the crime scene. Every night it was more of the same—brutal murders and reports of missing people.

But it wasn’t just the humans who were worried. Howlers’ otherworldly customers had voiced concerns as well. The elimination of Salvatore Guerra and his rogue vampire army should have ended the violence. It didn’t. For months now, the number of rogue attacks continued to increase.

Rogues.Her gut twisted. Disgusting bastards. Once a vampire lost themselves to bloodlust, they destroyed everything in their path.

Everything.

She jerked her eyes to the counter, scrubbing with frenzied circles—but some stains could never be erased.

For years, Liam had done his best to hide her from this world, teaching her how to fly under the radar. There were plenty of creatures, not as honorable as Liam, who’d love to get their hands on her and the powerful blood running through her veins.

Thanks to Liam’s guidance, she—and Charlie—had been able to live a fairlyhumanlife. While Charlie wasn’t her biological father, he was the only dad she’d ever known. After a rogue vampire murdered her mom, he was all she had left.