A bear shifter with the heart of a hero Dimitri Medved used to live in the shadows of New York high society. But his ruthless, unscrupulous parents poisoned everything they ever touched before they were caught and sent to prison. Trying to escape his past, Dimitri left New York City and started a new life in a small close-knit shifter community far from the glitter and corruption of the big city. When Dimitri headed west to the wilds of Bearpaw Ridge, he traded his Armani business suit for the helmet and ax of a volunteer firefighter. After his first rescue, this protective, alpha bear shifter knew he'd found his true calling, and his true home. All he lacks now is his mate. When he stops to help a woman stranded with her young daughter on the outskirts of town, he's struck hard by Cupid's arrow. It's not just the woman's fragile beauty, her lush curves or her delicate scent. His bear recognizes that Damaris is their fated mate. Add in her sweet, lively daughter, and Dimitri thinks he may have finally found the family he's craved ever since he can remember. Dimitri's restless bear hungers to claim his mate. But his instincts tell him that Damaris has secrets...secrets that now threaten her and her daughter. He needs to protect them both, but can he convince her to trust him before it's too late? Damaris Markidis hides desperate secrets Damaris works for New York City crime boss Tony "the Fixer" Rizzo. She lives in a world of shadows, vengeance and danger. The work she was forced to take is the job she can never leave. No one suspects that the poised and perfectly polished Damaris is a lethal assassin. Tony's hired gun. She possesses a special skill set. Her hits look like accidents even to the jaded, cynical cops of The Big Apple. Tony ruthlessly exploits the fact that single mom Damaris can't refuse his orders. Not if she wants to survive and keep her young daughter safe. So far, Damaris's hits have all been vicious predators. She's never taken down an innocent person. All that's about to change when she's tasked with a hit on Dimitri Medved, son of the notorious Medved banking family. She's shocked to find herself falling for him at their first meeting. Hunky, kind, and protective, he's the man she's dreamed of. The man who could be the perfect husband and a tender father to her daughter. But with her past, she's sure she doesn't deserve a man like Dimitri. And Tony's not about to let go of his best, secret weapon...