Rachel Brackett arrives in Sullivan, Montana with simple goals: relocate, settle an estate, and manage her own antique store. Her parents and friends back home called it running away. That’s just fine with her. Rachel’s curiosity leads her into the forest, and she finds creatures who know more about her ominous heritage than she does. The creatures only exist in nightmares – grotesque mutants and shapeshifters. They seek vengeance for hideous crimes in genetic engineering, and Rachel is the prime target for retribution. While Rachel searches for the truth behind the family she never knew, a bounty hunter stalks her every move. Only Leonardo, a figure shrouded in the shadows, offers protection. A were lion with the perfect blend of human and feline features. Terrifying. Impossible. Alluring. When Rachel’s home is ripped apart and a friend attacked, it’s clear there is no safe haven. She is no longer running from her past, but trying to survive to make it to her future.

Rachel Brackett’s plans for an ordinary life in the Bitterroot Mountains developed into shattered dreams and evolved into two lives she must keep separate. Struggling to protect friends with deep secrets, she leans on Leonardo to keep her sanity intact. Rachel’s carefully constructed world tilts on a dangerous axis when Leonardo disappears, and the conflict with the Others shifts towards war. Justiz and Rachel galvanize into action, their pursuit of Leonardo taking precious time. They must reach him before the lives of loved ones are lost, and the world outside of the mountains clashes with the long-hidden community, where their worst nightmares are real.

Dr. Sophia Collingsworth plays a dangerous game of mixing human and animal DNA. As the government steps in and she loses control of the labs she'd built, Sophia must choose between a lifetime's work and her conscience.