Prologue

PROLOGUE

S ixteen years old might have been a big deal to some—sweet sixteen—the start of feeling like a real woman.

But to Danika Harrison it was just another day. She couldn’t vote, could barely drive, and couldn’t even have any alcohol.

The pink and white balloons, the cutout decorations that signaled she was indeed sixteen today, were splattered across the backyard. Her father was over by the barbecue, and the guests that had already arrived were a few of her friends from school, and some of the neighbors.

She could have done without the show for her birthday, but although her father was this big, tough, and strong former SEAL, he was also the only person in her life that cared for her.

After her mother passed away suddenly when she was only two, it had just been her and her dad. He, at times, went a little above and beyond during celebrations and holidays, but she loved him for it, even if she felt she was too old for those things anymore.

Her dad looked at his watch, and she knew that one of his old Navy SEAL buddies was supposed to be coming in. She had heard a lot about Damien Locke, a lion shifting man that had saved her father’s life when they had been overseas before she was born.

It was because of her father getting injured, and Damien saving his life, that her father had gotten a Purple Heart and had been Honorably Discharged.

“Hey, birthday girl,” Hayden, her best friend since she had been five years old, said from beside her.

She elbowed Hayden in the gut, and although he grunted as if in pain, she knew that he was fine.

“Your dad expecting someone?” Hayden asked and brought his can of Sprite to his mouth.

“Yeah, an old SEAL buddy that he hasn’t seen in years. Apparently the guy is moving to town.” She stared at her dad as he flipped burgers, glanced at the side entrance of their house, then went back to handing out hot dogs and hamburgers. “His name is Damien, and Dad says he’s this badass lion shifter that was this machine in the field, whatever that means.” She took a sip of her root beer.

“That means he’s a badass shifter that can probably kill a man with his bare hands.”

She shook her head at Hayden’s exaggeration, although it probably wasn’t too far off from the truth.

“A shifter, huh?”

She nodded and glanced at Hayden.

“He’ll be like the third shifter in this shitty little town.” She chuckled, because he was right, on both accounts.

Thistledale was shitty, with a small population of humans, and only two shifters that lived inside city limits. Although shifters and humans lived side-by side, the only two part animal inhabitants were two panther shifters that were also husband and wife.

Hayden made this noncommittal noise, and started looking at Pamela Yern, one of Danika’s non-friend friends. They might have hung out when they were younger, but they hadn’t been “friends” for a long time. But because Pamela lived right next door to her, apparently her father thought that she needed to come to the party.

“Your dad invited her?” Hayden said without any disgust in his voice, and instead sounding a little turned on.

“God, Hayden, please don’t even go there with her. You and I both know that she makes out with the JV football players behind the school.”

He lifted an eyebrow, as if he were intrigued.

“What is it about her that makes anyone with a penis lose their brain?”

That had Hayden spitting out his Sprite as he laughed. “Oh shit, Danika.” He looked over at her. His short brown hair was slightly

damp from the swim in her backyard pool, and his light hazel eyes were crinkled in the corners as he tried to contain his laughter.

“If you had a penis you’d know why being easy was such a turn-on for the male population.”

Danika stared at Pamela as she got out of the pool, her string bikini totally inappropriate for a birthday party, and her breasts so big the triangles covering her nipples were barely holding on.

Hayden groaned. “Pamela Yern makes me yearn for some very raunchy things.”

“God, stop it now. If you only give me one thing for my birthday, make it sweet silence when it comes it Pamela.”

Hayden started laughing, but grabbed her upper arm and steered her toward the side of the house. “I have your birthday present right here.” He reached in the front pocket of his shorts and pulled out a joint.

“Holy shit, Hayden.” Danika grabbed his hand that held the joint and pulled it down. Her father looked up, glanced around the backyard, and when he spotted them he lifted his hand and waved.

But when she lifted her hand and felt her nervous smile spread across her face, she realized her father hadn’t seen the marijuana. A man walked toward her father, huge, intimidating, and even though she couldn’t see his face, and wasn’t that close, she felt the aura of power leave him.

Her dad and the guy embraced in one of those manly hugs, and clapped each other on the back. Danika stared at the guy. His darker blond hair was cut short, military style, and his big muscular body was bigger than even her father’s, and her dad was no creampuff.

The man wore a white t-shirt, one that didn’t do anything to mask the bulging muscles of his back and arms, or hide his tattoos that she could see through the light fabric.

And his jeans, although slightly loose, fit him pretty damn good. God, what in the hell was she doing? Clearly that was her dad’s friend by the way her father lit up and became animated. She was sixteen, and the guy had to be in his late thirties, which was her father’s age.

But her hormones had come alive when she had seen him, or, more correctly, the back of him.

“Come on, Hayden. I think I need that joint right about now.”

Damien was done, finished with fighting, finished with the violence and death, and looked forward to silence of solitude. For the

better part of his thirty-five years he had been a SEAL, fought beside some of the most well-respected and brave men—human and shifters alike—that he had the pleasure of calling brothers.

But his time was done, and he had the scars and lasting injuries to remind him of his time fighting a war that had taken lives, but also saved them.

He stared at Tyler, his friend, brother, a man he considered family, and took a long drink from his beer. The party that was being thrown was obviously for Tyler’s sixteen-year-old daughter, although Damien hadn’t seen Danika.

Hell, he hadn’t even met her. For all these years he had been traveling, fighting, and keeping busy with his missions. But as he looked around the large country backyard with an in-ground pool and a privacy fence blocking off prying eyes for about twenty yards ahead of them, he didn’t see any young female that resembled Tyler, or smelled of his blood.

“You’re finally home, man,” Tyler said and grinned.

“Yeah, and I’m looking forward to doing absolutely nothing.” Damien’s entire life had been nothing but action, combat, and strength. It would be nice to just do ... nothing.

They stood in front of each other, each on their second beer. The memories of his time in combat with this man filled Damien’s head.

He was a lion shifter, a powerful creature that was stronger than humans, faster, had better senses, and had been used for more dangerous missions.

After he had saved Tyler’s life Damien had been reassigned to infiltrate a sex-ring overseas. The assignment had lasted years, and tracking down and taking out the motherfuckers responsible had been a pleasure.

Damien wasn’t human, not fully, and because of that he was a lot fiercer than many men. He was also a hell of a lot more dangerous than a lot of other shifters because he was more animal than human.

“Well, brother, I’m glad you’re back, done fighting, and now maybe you can settle down.”

Damien nodded after Tyler spoke. The truth was he wasn’t looking for a woman to have a life with and a family. A few hours between the sheets with a female was all he needed.

The isolated and solitary confinement of his own home, a cabin in the mountains he had purchased years ago, was what he craved.

Having someone live with him, sleeping beside him in his bed, wasn’t what Damien had ever envisioned for himself. He was a pretty dominant man, hostile and used to having his way in all things. What woman would put up

with a male that was possessive and territorial of her? And that was exactly how Damien would be, to the nth degree even.

“I’ll worry about the female population later. Right now a few hours with them at a time is sufficient.”

Tyler chuckled and lifted his beer to his mouth. He finished off the alcohol and nodded. “Well, if you want a churchgoing woman, this town is full of them.” He grinned, and Damien shook his head, feeling amusement.

“I don’t think a religious woman is what I need, unless she wants to be screaming out ‘God’ all night in my bed.”

Tyler burst out laughing, and it was like old times when they were lying in their bunks, trying to focus on other things besides the death they had seen. “I haven’t seen your girl,” Damien said and brought his drink to his mouth.

He glanced around the backyard, saw the young girls swimming and the boys splashing each other, but couldn’t smell the blood relation to Tyler from any of them. Tyler’s home was out of town, tucked away on two acres, with a large in- ground pool, thick trees adding privacy to the property, and a beautiful two-story home.

It was something maybe Damien would have one day. Right now he would be content just living in his one bedroom cabin in the woods, relying on the wood burning fireplace for heat, and the silence to keep him company.

“I saw her running off with her friend Hayden. I’m sure they’ll be back shortly.” Tyler flipped a few of the burgers. “She’s growing up, man.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe she’s already sixteen. Damn, in just two years she’ll be eighteen, off to college, and starting a life for herself.”

Damien wished he could know what it was like to have a child of his own, one that was of his blood, who looked up to him, and that he protected. But his life had gone in a different direction, and his duty had called.

Fighting hard for his country was what fate had planned for him, and a woman and children hadn’t been in his cards. He was older now, knew that he probably would never have the latter in his life, but he was content with how things had played out.

“Listen, I’ve got to take a piss, but maybe when I’m done I can finally meet this daughter of yours.” He had seen pictures of Danika as a little girl, maybe five at the most, but he had been overseas, fighting in the trenches, and mail had been scarce. But she

was the light of Tyler’s life, and because Damien thought of the other man like family and a brother, Danika was family, too.