As a former Hunter bred to be a killing machine in the hell of a madman's lab, Breed vampire Scythe is a dangerous loner whose heart has been steeled by decades of torment and violence. He has no room in his world for love or desire-especially when it comes in the form of a vulnerable, yet courageous, Breedmate in need of protection. Scythe has loved-and lost-once before, and paid a hefty price for the weakness of his emotions. He's not about to put himself in those chains again, no matter how deeply he hungers for lovely Chiara. For Chiara Genova, a widow and mother with a young Breed son, the last thing she needs is to put her fate and that of her child in the hands of a lethal male like Scythe. But when she's targeted by a hidden enemy, the obsidian-eyed assassin is her best hope for survival . . . even at the risk of her heart.