Note: Prologue omitted.

Why now? Why was this damn, mysterious perp suddenly targeting his people? Slade had asked himself that question a thousand times already since the first homicide months ago. He’d rushed to the scene of the crime minutes after the call had come through stating a mutilated body had been found in an alley downtown. Minutes before, one of his warriors had called to tell him that one of their own was missing, last seen in that area. Brenn, the victim, lived and worked with his human associates in the YMCA that provided for the homeless, using his degree in Psychology and Social Welfare.

Slade had been shocked when he had difficulty identifying the body of the young man. It looked as though someone had taken a carving knife and dug deep, looking for something other than just blood. But the most telling of the horrendous carvings came from the outline on Brenn’s back.

The murderer had cut out Brenn’s wings.

Slade had immediately put his best team on the investigation, going behind Reed’s back by pulling in Slade’s own men. Reed had already assigned a team and never knew Slade was checking into the situation too.

He had to. When some maniac targeted a victim to deliberately cut out his wings, then the case belonged to him.

He was the Enforcer of the Firestorm Dragon Security Warriors. Protecting the secret existence of his Clan was his number one priority. No way in hell was he going to let some human bastard target his people and get away with murder.

The Shamara Dragon Clan risked exposure on a daily basis and it was Slade’s job to protect their secret. Some of the Clan members lived in the city of Kings Mountain, Colorado, while the majority of the Clan lived in the five thousand acre, private compound outside city limits. It wasn’t forbidden for the dragon shapeshifters to mingle with humans –in this day and age it was almost a necessity for their survival –but they purposely remained a secret society in order to protect their secret shapeshifting heritage. A few of the dragon shifters had even married human mates. It wasn’t something the Clan agreed on, but they had to accept. Times were changing, and it was slowly becoming obvious to the ancient dragons that preternatural beings were mixing with the human race more… in order to simply survive.

Dammit. Slade hated the necessity of mixing with the humans. And now with the murdered victims –all dragon shifters –growing in a steady number, he knew it was just a matter of time before some kind of exposure happened. How the hell am I going to keep the Clan safe?

He’d been working nonstop on trying to find the murderer –or murderers –for weeks now. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a decent sleep. His stomach growled reminding him he had eaten all day either. His dragon DNA required a lot of sustenance to maintain his energy levels during the day hours.

He parked his Hummer in his allotted spot at the police station and got out, stretching tense muscles before going inside. Reed had called him in to meet his daughter Summer. Slade wasn’t happy about having to lose time guarding Summer when he should have been tracking down the murderers. But Reed had stated he was worried that the stalker dogging Summer’s every step might also be related to the homicides. If there was any chance it was true, Slade had to look into it.

Reed met him at the door of his office. “Sorry, Slade. She had a late appointment today and couldn’t make it. Here’s the address where she works. She usually gets off at five p.m.”

“Any more info on the murder cases?” Slade glanced at the piece of paper with the address and then leaned back against the door. Because of Reed’s order that he not be involved in the cases, he had to be careful not to show too much interest.

“Nothing substantial,” Reed answered noncommittally.

Hell, that didn’t say much, did it? He almost hoped the stalker after Summer had something to do with the murder cases. He resented the time away from the search. Still, if Reed’s daughter was in danger, he wanted to be the one to check into it.

He couldn’t explain it, even to himself. His fascination with her had started years ago when the Clan had first moved to Kings Mountain and he’d taken the job under Reed. He’s seen her picture on Reed’s desk. She was nineteen then and away at college. Later, Reed had confidentially told him the story behind her adoption. She’d lost her entire family in a horrific murder that had left her orphaned at five years old. Reed, a distant relative, had adopted her. He was overly protective of her, and only a few of the staff in the Police department had actually ever met her. When she returned home after earning a degree in Child Psychology, her schedule was hectic and kept her out of the public eye.

Every time he went into Reed’s office Slade looked at that photo. At nineteen she had been a stunning beauty. He couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like now at twenty-six. Her exquisite, fey features were framed by a wealth of shining, silver-blonde hair cascading down past her slim shoulders. Her eyes were the most unusual shade of violet, long-lashed, and mysterious. Her cupid-bow mouth was made for kissing. The primal male inside him had to add: And for other things…

Whoa. He knew better to let his thoughts go in that direction. She was human. Enough said. A few of his Clan members had married humans, but it wasn’t for him. He spent all of his time protecting the Clan from any dangers the human race might represent. He didn’t need to be involved with them any more than that. He didn’t want to be. Humans were frail. Prejudiced. And had too short of a life span. He didn’t like the idea of sharing his life with a woman he would eventually out-live.

Still, he couldn’t get Summer completely out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. There was something about her that kept him intrigued. Hell, I haven’t even met her and I think about her. The male side of him didn’t want to dwell on the possible explanations for his fascination of a human woman he’d never met. But his dragon self rumbled in keen interest every time he thought about her or looked at her picture. Obstinately he put it down to primal lust for a beautiful woman and the fact that he’d been celibate too damn long.

Still thinking about the unwanted fascination, Slade left the station and headed to the address where Summer worked.

Fifteen minutes later he turned off Main Street and into the parking complex at the ‘Tower Building’. Gaze alert for a parking spot his sharp preternatural sight suddenly saw a bulky, odd-shaped, fleeing shadow darting between cars. He could tell immediately that it wasn’t human. The movement was too fast, the form too unsubstantial. Slade hit the brakes and stopped the Hummer. He jumped out and ran.

His long legs and shifter strength helped him cover the distance in seconds. Just as he reached the back of a van, the taillights on the vehicle came on. He barely had time to dive out of the way before the van spun out, tires screeching, rubber burning. Damn. Almost got me. The shadow may not have been human, but the accomplice most likely was, but he wasn’t able to see inside the tinted windows of the van as it sped by. He quickly memorized the license plate numbers. He then spun around and made the quick dash back to his Hummer. Seconds later he was peeling out of the parking garage and in pursuit of the fleeing van. His gut instinct was telling him that this was Summer’s mysterious stalker. It had to have waiting for her to exit the garage elevator. But what the hell was it? And why was it stalking Reed’s daughter? Possible answers flew through his mind as he chased the van through late afternoon traffic. As an afterthought, he positioned the police siren light on his dashboard. No sense in getting pulled over for speeding.

Bad mistake. Slade cursed. The occupants in the fleeing van saw the light immediately and made a sudden turn off the main street onto a side road. Slade was driving too fast to slow his own vehicle down. He swung the Hummer off onto the road and instantly felt the tilting as the tires left the road. Split seconds later he lost control and the Hummer flew off into the ditch. Upside down.

Lucky for him, dragon shifters had tough hides. Not so lucky was the fact that while in human form, that didn’t count.