My life was a series of calculated risks and narrow escapes—until I stumbled upon Stock Creek, a picturesque town that promised solace from my haunted past. I'm Erin Montgomery, once just another face in the bustling streets of Chicago, now the wary owner of a cozy bed-and-breakfast. I believed I could start anew here, surrounded by the warm embrace of nature and the quirky charm of small-town living. But Stock Creek is more than it seems, and so am I. My heart still races at night, not just from the memories of the cold steel pressed against my temple or the scent of gunpowder, but from the piercing green eyes of Ashton—a man shrouded in as much mystery as the town itself. A dragon-shifter with scales as dark as the secrets he keeps, his presence ignites a fire within me that I cannot quell. Ashton's whispers are like a balm to my scarred soul, but his touch? It's an inferno that promises to consume us both. They say fate brought us together, two beings caught in the relentless storm of our intertwined destinies. He's the protector I never knew I needed; the missing piece that makes sense of my fragmented world. But even as we grow closer, danger lurks in the shadows, a reminder that my past is never too far behind. *** I never believed in destiny. As a dragon-shifter living among humans, I've always been a master of my own fate—until Erin Montgomery crashed into my life like a tempest with eyes the color of a wild forest and hair like autumn's most daring flame. She doesn't know it yet, but Erin is my fated mate. She sees me as the mysterious stranger who strolled into her B&B and saved her life. But our connection runs deeper than she can imagine. I can feel the pulse of her blood like the beat of a drum, calling to the very core of my being. Erin's in danger and doesn't even know it. The shadows that chased her from the city streets of Chicago to the deceptive calm of Stock Creek are closing in. And I'll burn the world to ash before I let them touch her.