Book Spotlight and Excerpt
Tessa took two shaky steps toward the ornate gate of the private driveway and
stopped. Was she really going to do this?
You can trust them, Ella had said. Ella, the neighbor who’d come along at exactly
the right moment and saved her life.
Tessa bit her lip. The fabric at the shoulder of her shirt was ripped, and her
throat ached from the attack. Her fingers were still shaking, and her mind was haunted
by visions of a terrifying beast. How could she trust anyone after what had happened
less than twenty-four hours before?
You have to trust them. No one else can protect you from that monster.
Crickets chirped from the lush foliage, and a bat flew overhead, a splotch of black
against the dark night. Tessa shivered in spite of the balmy night, unwilling to trust her
own senses. Sure, the sea was whispering over the shore in a reassuring way. And yes,
the moon’s rippling reflection over the Pacific should be soothing, like the sweet scent
of hibiscus. But even the island paradise of Maui could try to deceive her. Nightmares
could break the deepest peace — real-life nightmares she couldn’t block out of her
memory no matter how hard she tried. She could still see the glowing eyes of the crea-
ture that had attacked her.
Mine. You will be mine, his voice boomed in her mind.
She drew a deep breath and looked over her shoulder, wishing she hadn’t sent
the taxi away. She was alone at night in a remote corner of Maui, far off the beaten
track, about to knock on the door of a complete stranger for help.
A very rich stranger, she decided, inspecting the gate. There was an elaborate de-
sign in the middle, but she couldn’t quite make it out. Something swirly. Toothy. Wait —
was that a tail? Shit, was it a dragon, or was she seeing things?