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Jesska Shane has suffered a devastating loss, and now pushes away those who love her the most.
Kaspar Baldursson is in search of answers concerning his brother’s sudden disappearance. When he finds his brother--and his forever mate in the process--he must uncover the threats surrounding his family and protect his mate at all costs.
Will Kaspar’s love be strong enough to tear down the walls Jesska keeps building around her heart?
Will he be able to save her before the secrets in their past destroy them all?
Prologue
Portland, Oregon
Ten Years ago
Jesska Shane rushed out of the last class of her last year of high school and ran smack dab into her boyfriend of nearly four years. Seth chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. “Hi beautiful.”
Seth King was six-feet-tall with dark-blond hair, chocolate-brown eyes, and the epitome of a high school jock. Quarterback on the varsity team and top wrestler in his weight class, but also funny as hell, and a guy Jesska admired greatly. She’d met him the first day of Freshman year and they’d been inseparable ever since.
“Can you believe we’re done?” she asked, looping her arms around his neck, and kissing him.
“None too soon,” he said as he set her on her feet again. “I can’t believe your parents are going to let you come to Paris with us.”
“Please.” She grinned. “I turn eighteen in a week, so it would be out of their hands then anyway.”
“Hey guys.”
They turned to see Seth’s best friend Jason jogging toward them. Jesska gripped Seth’s hand a little tighter. He glanced down at her with a frown, but she forced a smile and he focused back on Jason. “Hey, bud. You ready to lose at bowling?”
“You mean, am I ready to smoke you?”
Seth chuckled. “We’ll see. I take it you’re coming today?”
“Hell, yeah. I’m so over this dump... can’t believe I have to do a class over summer, or I won’t graduate.”
Jason Rogers had been Seth’s best friend since middle school. A couple of years ago, Jason had started smoking pot (and Jesska was convinced he was doing harder shit), and decorating his body with tattoos and piercings, but Seth stayed close, hoping he’d turn a corner. His parents had both died of cancer, so Jason was forced to live with his grandparents, which didn’t seem to be going so well.
Jesska used to adore Jason, but lately he’d gotten weird, trying to corner her alone at school and touching her “accidentally.” In general, he just creeped her out.
“We’ll meet you there, bud,” Seth said.
Jason glanced at Jesska but didn’t say anything as he nodded and strolled out the door toward the parking lot.
“Hey.” Seth squeezed her hand. “What’s going on with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You get all squirrely around Jase now. Did something happen?”
“Nope.” She shook her head and forced a smile. “Let’s go, Sethykins. I’m starving.”
Seth frowned, but he let it go. He always let it go, giving her space to tell him whatever she needed to tell him in her own time. Seth had driven this morning, so she tugged him out of the building and to his car. He opened the passenger door for her, but pulled her close before she climbed in, stroking her cheek as he smiled at her. “Do you know how much I love you?”
She nodded. “You tell me every day how much you love me, so I have some idea.”
He leaned down and kissed her, and she found her hands sliding under his T-shirt and up his back. She didn’t know if she could possibly ever love another human being as much as she did him. It was overwhelming at times.
“Get a room, losers!”
Jesska giggled, breaking the kiss, and following the sound of her best friend’s voice. “Jealous much?”
