Chapter 1

Estrella Rios smoothed a hand back over her hair, hoping her unruly curls stayed in place. At least for the next three hours. As a favor to her former college roommate, who was also her best friend, she was filling in for one of the hired servers at Sabrina’s first professional art show. It was at a well-known studio and drew serious buyers. Estrella understood her friend’s neurotic need to control every little detail tonight.

Since Estrella had waited tables during college, carrying a tray around all night was a piece of cake. Or it would be if a certain tall, extremely sexy man would stop staring at her—and following her around. It was unsettling. Well, she couldn’t prove he was following her, but everywhere she turned, there he was.

Watching her with pale green eyes that were damn unnerving, he moved with a liquid, almost supernatural grace.

Almost as if the man knew she was thinking about him, he appeared in her line of sight again. Even with the throng of people between them she could feel the heat of his gaze, as if he was actually touching her. He stared at her with laser-like focus. Then he blinked and she sucked in a deep breath. Oh crap. He was like her. She could see the animal lurking in his gaze. It had only been a brief flash but she’d recognized the animal peering back at her.

He was a shifter—a human who could turn into an animal. The few male shifters she’d met in college were jerks who thought they could dominate and tell her what to do just because she was packless. That was another term she’d learned while in college. Apparently packless translated to unprotected in the shifter world. Whatever. She wasn’t concerned with learning anything about packs or other shifters. She’d grown up in the human world. Luckily, all of her friends were human and she’d blended into their world almost perfectly from the time she was five years old and abandoned to the foster system. She knew how to blend in and hide from those who thought their strength gave them a free pass to treat her however they wanted.

Swallowing hard at the thought that the hot stranger could be just like some of the other shifters she’d known, she took a step back and collided with a wall of muscle. The tray in her hand dipped, the champagne glasses sloshing and threatening to fall, but two strong hands encircled her from behind. One steadied the tray and the other clutched possessively around her hip.

She knew it was him before she even turned around. He had an earthy scent that reminded her of the forest after a fresh spring rain. No matter how good he smelled, she did not appreciate the way he was holding on to her. As if he knew her and had the right to touch her.

Firmly clasping the tray, she stepped away from him and was careful to keep the drinks balanced as she turned. When her eyes clashed with his pale ones, a shot of pure warmth and adrenaline punched through her. The man was certainly attractive in an edgy, dangerous sort of way. With dark hair just a little too long and sharply defined cheekbones, he looked as if he’d been cut from stone. He’d triggered her fight-or-flight response, but not necessarily in a bad way. Her inner jaguar told her to run fast and far from this man who was clearly a predator. She could see it in his gaze. No one in their right mind would mess with this guy.

Even though her jaguar was spooked, her purely female human side was very interested. Estrella was glad her dress wrapped around her like a second skin.

“Your name,” he said, his voice raspy and sexy as it twined around her.

She blinked as his words jerked her out of her stupor. “Excuse me?”

“What. Is. Your. Name.” All right, he was definitely ordering her to tell him.

And she did not like his demanding tone. “Think you can ask like a normal person?”

He blinked and she realized she’d taken him off guard. Clearing his throat, he took a step closer, and she was very thankful to have the flutes of champagne as a barrier. “You’re in my Alpha’s territory but you haven’t announced your presence or asked for permission to be here. I want your name.”

Uh-oh. So there was no doubt he knew she was a shifter too. Maybe she’d broken some unwritten rule. Estrella ignored the sliver of fear that trailed down her spine. “I don’t know what an Alpha is and I don’t really care.” Though she could guess what it was. “I don’t have to ask anyone for permission to be anywhere. And if you even think about touching me again, you’ll lose your hand.”

He blinked again and this time she knew she’d surprised him. Something told her that didn’t happen very often. Before he could respond, she swiveled and moved to mingle with other art patrons. She used her supernatural grace to weave through the crowd of well-dressed people as she offered them drinks.

When she finally turned back toward the trio of black-and-white oil paintings of the Everglades, Estrella felt a mix of relief and disappointment that the mystery man was no longer hovering there. For a moment her gaze lingered on the paintings, each one depicting the moon in various phases. In the third one, Sabrina had added a stark orange moon—the only splash of color in the darker scenes. Forcing her gaze away, Estrella quickly scanned the rest of the first floor before doing an actual physical walk through.

He was gone. And she had a job to do.

Ignoring the disturbing disappointment that welled up inside her at his absence, she pasted on a smile and returned to the kitchen to refill her tray. The way customers were drinking, she hoped it would make them loosen up and help her friend’s sales.

Three-and-a-half hours later Estrella’s feet ached—thanks to her four-inch heels—but at least the crowd was gone and the studio was closed. The servers from the catering company were loading up their van, but that didn’t fall into her realm of duties. She’d just done them a favor by picking up some of the slack and now she was sitting on one of the cleared off food tables and munching on petit fours. After demolishing five, she was thinking about eating a sixth when Sabrina strode out of the manager’s office, a giant grin on her face.

Her friend had flatironed her hair for the event and had pulled it back into a tight ponytail, showing off her sharp cheekbones and gorgeous café au lait skin. Sabrina’s dark eyes narrowed slightly. “How many of those things have you eaten?”

Estrella shrugged and returned her friend’s grin.

“I don’t know how you eat all that processed crap or where you put it all.” Sabrina mock-shuddered and grabbed a strawberry off her plate.

Estrella just shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re missing.” She popped another of the mini cakes into her mouth, savoring the sweetness. Thanks to being a shifter her metabolism was high, which meant she had to eat a lot more than most people. Of course her friend didn’t know she was a shifter. It was the only secret Estrella had ever kept from her. “So, how was the show?”

“A lot better than expected. I’ll be able to cover rent for at least the next six months if I budget right, which means I can officially quit my waitressing job.” Sabrina picked up her purse off the table so Estrella stood and snagged her own clutch, leaving her plate behind.

Estrella had just done the same after selling a few of her sculptures. Of course money was definitely tight, but she’d decided to take the plunge and throw herself into her work full-time. At least until her money ran out or she sold more pieces. Hopefully the latter would happen instead. “Do you realize this means we’re both full-time artists? Both doing exactly what everyone said we were crazy to even think about trying?”

Sabrina’s megawatt smile was blinding. “I’m scared to quit my job, but...I’m more scared not to.”

“I totally understand.” Estrella and Sabrina had met as freshmen in college and had been inseparable ever since. No one else she knew understood what it was like trying to make it as an artist more than her best friend.

“I’m tempted to go out and celebrate but I’m so tired.” Sabrina stopped in front of their vehicles as she fished her keys out of her purse.

Estrella did the same and stifled a yawn. “Go home and get some sleep because tomorrow you’re giving your notice at work.”

“You just don’t want to go out—but you’re right, I do need sleep. Thanks again for tonight.” Sabrina gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before pressing her key fob.

Following suit, Estrella got into her Jeep and steered out of the nearly deserted parking lot. Instead of heading east like Sabrina she turned west in the direction of the new place she’d recently rented on the outskirts of Huntsville, Alabama. The cottage-style house in the middle of the woods had been perfectly priced and allowed her to shift and run free in privacy. Plus it had a small air-conditioned studio attached to the house where she was able to work. It was like the place had been custom-made for her.

As she turned off onto the two-lane road that led to her place, she was surprised when headlights appeared in her rearview mirror. The road was a dead end and there was only one more—unoccupied—house about two miles down from hers. Slowing her vehicle, she started to pull off onto the side of the road when she spotted another set of headlights behind the first vehicle. What the heck was going on?

She stopped so that whoever was behind her could pass. When the vehicle behind her also pulled off, panic jumped inside her.

The headlights directly behind her shut off and she realized it was a truck. It was too dark to see who was inside other than to make out a big, broad-shouldered silhouette. Definitely male. Estrella quickly debated her options. She could try to turn around and outrun the man in her Jeep but he could easily block her with his vehicle. No, she’d be better off if she jumped out, shifted and made a run for it. If this was a group of shifters who wanted her for nefarious purposes she’d have a much better chance in her animal form. As a jaguar she was powerful and could run at incredible bursts of speed. Considering the way that shifter had been eyeing her at the party tonight, she couldn’t discount anything.

The moment her fingers touched the door handle, a tearing sound made her jerk around. Claws sliced through the plastic window of her Jeep. There was no way the silhouette she’d seen in the truck behind her could have moved so fast.