Prologue
Eva sat across from Tony with a slight smirk on her face. As the family's clairvoyant, she often knew about things long before they happened. Typically, if anyone in Tony’s family were involved in her visions, she would give him an advanced warning as to what was coming, but not today.
Since Tony rescued her from being involuntarily committed at the local hospital, Eva felt she owed the man. No, she wasn’t crazy; she just happened to be one of the few humans who knew about were creatures and vampires. Her late husband, George, was a werewolf. Eva and George were true mates, so when he was shot and killed while out running in the woods, his death had devastated Eva. To make things worse, as the only human in a pack of werewolves, Eva was shunned almost as soon as her husband’s funeral was over when they promptly informed her that she was no longer welcomed within their pack.
Eva had spent her entire life trying to fit in as a human with unique abilities, never feeling entirely at home. Most humans didn’t understand her and were nervous once they discovered her premonition abilities. Still, she’d heard rumors about a large, diverse group in the small town of Hoboken, New Jersey. The word was a vampire ran the city and took Others under his wing. Eva heard that he took in anyone in need, whether a were-creature or a vampire. He asked for their loyalty and, in return, gave them a place to live, a way to earn a living, and a safe place to raise a family. But would he take in a human with unique abilities and knowledge of Others?
Eva packed everything she owned into her car and made her way to the small, water-front town of Hoboken, New Jersey, searching for this new group. She was going on a lot of “hearsay,” and even if she found this elusive vampire, it was a long shot he would accept her, but it was all she had going for her. Her only other choice was to go back to living among the humans and trying to keep her special abilities under wrap.
Upon arriving in the small town, Eva ran into more difficulties. How does one go about finding the local “Other” community? She tried cautiously inquiring, but still asked the wrong person and soon found herself committed to the Psychiatric Unit at the local hospital. Thank goodness Tony’s second in command, Paul Cappuccio, had been working security that night. Eva recognized his scent and, feeling like she had nothing more to lose, told him she knew he was a werewolf. The look on his face was one she’d never forget. He looked at her with part fear and part denial, undecided as to whether to tell the truth or deny it, something that had been ingrained into him since childhood. He never did answer her that night; he just turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Eva remembered thinking she probably should have handled the situation a bit better, but it soon didn’t matter when Paul’s boss, Tony Maratelli, strolled into her little room a short time later. Sitting on the end of her bed, he inquired, “Do you know who I am?”
She remembered smiling at him as she answered honestly, “You’re a vampire. I’m hoping you’re the one I’ve been looking for and in charge of the local Others in this town.” She held out her hand as she introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Eva St. Claire. Yes, I’m human, but my late husband was a werewolf, which is how I knew about Paul.”
Tony tilted his head a bit as he studied her. She felt him in her mind, reading her every thought. There was little use in denying her abilities since he’d just read her like an open book. “So, you are a bit gifted yourself,” he stated a moment later when the slight pressure eased from her head.
“Yes, I do have a few abilities,” she replied as she cautiously looked around the tiny room. They were alone, but then she remembered the security cameras set up in the corners of the room were probably recording everything. Eva purposely glanced up to one of the cameras then back to Tony. “I would rather not discuss details until I know we are in a private setting.”
Tony threw his head back and laughed. “You were just recorded accusing me of being a vampire and the head of security as being a werewolf. Now you’re afraid of telling me about a few special abilities you have?” He shook his head as he continued to chuckle before getting serious again. “No worries, Eva St. Claire, Paul is deleting the security tapes as we speak, and if you give me a few minutes to have a word with the doctor, I’ll get you out of here.”
That night changed Eva’s life. Once Tony acquired her release at the hospital, he’d taken her to his diner for a late-night meal. While she ate, she spilled her entire sorry story about losing her mate, getting kicked out of her mate’s pack, and slowly making her way to his little town. He sat patiently and listened, asking a few questions about her abilities, then paid for the meal. She was enjoying an after-dinner cup of coffee when he stated, “You are under no obligation whatsoever, but I’d like to help you. I have a furnished apartment right across the street that is yours for as long as you like. If you need work, I’m sure we can find something for you to do. In return, I ask you to keep our secret and help the Other community as needed. I require all non-humans or Others to report to me, but I do everything I can to take care of those who fall under my jurisdiction. I consider the group my family, and as you know about us, you will also fall under my wing. If you get a vision concerning anything in this town, I want to know about it immediately. Do we have a deal?”
Since that fateful evening two years ago, Eva and Tony had become great friends, and the entire Other community relied heavily on her abilities. But once again, fate was stepping in, and things were about to change.
Eva stood up and walked to the door, ready to leave Tony’s office. She stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “Oh, by the way, you’re going to have a visitor today.” She opened the door and quietly closed it behind her, but not before glancing back to see a confused-looking Tony. Today was probably the only time she’d had a vision about him and would not share the details. Tony would find out soon enough what fate had in store for him.
Halfway down the stairs, he yelled, “What? That’s it? No more details? Eva, get your ass back in here!”
Eva smiled as she continued heading down the stairs to the diner sitting under Tony’s office. Knowing he could hear her perfectly, she whispered, “Not today, my friend. All will be revealed in good time.” She continued smiling as she sat down at an empty booth. Today was going to get interesting because if her visions were correct, and they always were, Tony’s mate was on her way. She was in trouble and running from danger and was about to turn Tony’s world upside down.
Chapter 1
Cara pressed a hand against her stomach, knowing she had to stop soon. Behind her, a car horn blared, bringing her back into the present. After spending the last two weeks zigzagging across the country, she found herself in a cute little town called Hoboken, New Jersey. Down to her last few dollars and a half a tank of gas in her little car, she was starting to worry. Trying to conserve what little bit of money she had left, she’d forgone eating for the last two days, and now her body was letting her know just how unhappy it was with her recent decisions. As she lifted her foot off the brake to continue driving, black spots started creeping into her vision. Damn, she didn’t want to stop but was honestly afraid to keep moving in her current state. She glanced around the busy little town and continued down the main thoroughfare. Many people walked up and down the sidewalks. Cara observed them grabbing a coffee or a sandwich for lunch and checking out the little boutiques that seemed to line both sides of the street.
Where was she heading? Even she wasn’t sure. She’d passed a ferry taking passengers over to New York. Maybe she could get lost in the big city. But before she could continue, she needed to stop long enough to find a glass of milk and get her stomach to stop eating her backbone.
She backed her dilapidated old Toyota into a parking space and got out. In front of her was a sign that read “Tony’s Diner.” Hopefully, she could go inside and order a cold glass of milk, get lost in the crowd, and nobody would notice she wasn’t eating anything. She would love to request actual food, the scents coming from the many eateries nearby promising heaven to her empty stomach, but she held back. She might need the few dollars sitting in her wallet to put gas in her car. And since she was on the run, she had to remember that. Still, as she neared the small diner, the delicious scents wafting out the door had her pondering if she could offer to do dishes or clean tables in exchange for a meal? She knew a few who had done just that in the past, but most eating establishments didn’t take too kindly to someone taking up available seating without the means to pay for a meal.
As she neared the front door, her stomach decided to make itself known once again, the pain stopping her in her tracks. She wrapped her arm around her middle and frantically looked for a place to hide in plain sight, not wanting to draw attention to herself. The pain receded a moment later, and she was able to take a deep breath. Damn, she might end up having to spend a couple of dollars to get something to eat after all. She walked across the hot sidewalk made up of uneven bricks, her thin flip-flops providing a minimal barrier against the heat radiating through the bottoms of her feet. Just as she reached for the door, it shot outward, clipping her forehead as it swung entirely too fast for her to move out of the way.
“Damn,” she exclaimed as her hand came up to cradle her injured forehead.
“Oh crap, honey, I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” A middle-aged woman stood in front of her, presumably the one who had just tried knocking her out with the door.
Removing her hand from her injured forehead, Cara spotted blood, and her vision immediately blurred. “Oh man, just what I need,” she muttered more to herself than anyone else.
“Oh honey, I am so very sorry. Here, let me help you.” The stranger leaned back into the establishment for just a few seconds. “Greg, need some help out here!”
The strange lady turned back to Cara and quickly guided her to sit on the bricks below them before she fell. She patted Cara’s arm in a motherly fashion, and as Cara’s vision continued to tunnel, she heard the stranger state, “It’s going to be okay, dear. Don’t worry; I’ll take care of you.”
Black spots continued to dance before Cara’s eyes, and her stomach rolled at the sight of her blood pouring down her face.
“I don’t feel so well,” Cara mumbled before everything started to go black until she felt empty, weightless, and blissfully gave into the peaceful darkness.
Eva just managed to catch a slip of a girl as she fainted right in front of her. Greg, the only werebear of their family, came running from the back, where he’d been operating the kitchen for the lunch crowd. “Eva, what happened?” He immediately leaned down and picked up the injured woman.
“I wasn’t paying attention and smacked her a good one with the door on my way out. Let’s get her up to Tony’s office so we can assess her injuries.”
Greg raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Do you think that is a good idea?” Tony was great, and the fact that a human was injured while on the property wasn’t necessarily a problem; Greg knew his boss and friend would make things right. Greg’s only concern was Tony was a vampire, and this young woman’s head was bleeding like a stuffed pig. He’d always heard head wounds were the worst, but this looked bad. Greg had never seen Tony lose control of his urgings, but there was always a first time for everything. He glanced over to Eva as he headed inside. “Don’t you think she needs to go to the hospital?”
Eva sighed, understanding Greg’s concern but knowing how important the young woman in his arms was to Tony’s future. She shook her head as she frowned at the back of Greg’s head. “Take her to Tony. Trust me on this. She will be fine.”
The werebear nodded silently and looked down at the woman in his arms. She was a little thing, keyword, little. She looked like she hadn’t had a good meal in way too long, her clothing was rumpled, and she wore cheap rubber flip flops on her feet. What was her story? Was she running from something or just down on her luck? Was she running from an abusive relationship? Greg didn’t know, but the protective streak running through him wanted to find out and help this poor waft of a woman. No, she wasn’t his mate, but that didn’t stop the big brother attitude in him from coming to the forefront. He’d bet good money once they had her cleaned up and Tony got a good look at her; he would feel the same. Greg’s boss didn’t put up with anyone abusing or mistreating women.
Greg had stood by Tony as he slowly cleaned up their city. When Tony first arrived in Hoboken, it was overrun with the mob. The crime was high, and people were scared to walk down the street. Little did they realize just how much of an effect one determined vampire could have on a town. Tony ran the mob out of town, except for one family who knew better than to cross him. They lived in town, but they were under a strict contract that all business was conducted outside town limits. Nobody wanted to piss off Tony.
Eva followed Greg back into the building. She might not know the entire story, but she’d seen the young woman in a vision, and if she was correct, this was Tony’s mate. One would have to be blind to miss the fact that she needed help. If she was Tony’s mate, God help whoever she was running from because if Tony got ahold of them, he’d make sure they wouldn’t be around to hurt her anymore. This young woman would soon discover she was now safe from the evil chasing her. The young woman currently being carried inside by her werebear friend would quickly find a whole new world.
The fading bruises on her arms led Eva to believe the woman was running from either an abusive husband or boyfriend. By the time Eva’s supernatural friends finished with him, there wouldn’t be too much left. Let the piece of crap come to their town.
As if he could hear her thoughts, Tony appeared at the top of the stairs. “What is going on down there?”
Greg glanced up to his boss. “Hey, boss. Eva clipped this young woman in the head with the door on her way out…..”
“Crap! How bad is she injured?” Tony hurried down the stairs, taking them two at a time, not stopping until he was beside Greg and the young woman. He glanced down and inhaled sharply. Blood was running down the side of her face and onto Greg’s arm, leaving a trail behind them.
“At this point, I think it looks more serious than what it is,” Eva spoke from behind. “You know how head wounds are. A lot of bleeding, but it didn’t look deep enough to need stitches.”
Tony leaned forward and inhaled deeply before turning sharply back to Eva. “Is this the visitor I’m to have today?”
“Well, maybe?” Eva hesitated. She’d watched Tony lean down and sniff the unconscious woman twice. Indeed, if the injured woman were his mate, he should recognize it by now, shouldn’t he? She wasn’t sure how vampires identified their mates. When she had met George, one sniff had him going all caveman, ‘you’re mine’ attitude. Not that she minded. She had found herself falling for him a lot faster than she ever thought possible. A pang of loneliness hit her chest. Now wasn’t time for a pity party. She was sure her vision was correct, and this young woman was Tony’s mate. Eva watched Tony for a moment for any type of reaction. He was a man who held his cards close to him and didn’t let the world know what he was thinking or planning.
Tony reached over to remove the injured woman from his friend’s arms. A knee-jerk reaction had Greg tightening his hold on the injured woman.
“Let me have her,” Tony growled to his friend. Eva observed the two, knowing it was never a good idea to get between a were and a vampire disagreeing. A glance at Tony’s face revealed his fangs were sliding down and peeking out from under his top lip.
Eva placed a calming hand on Greg’s shoulder. “You might want to release her, Greg.”
She watched as the giant werebear gave her a look that clearly stated she was insane. “But,” Greg started to protest.
“She will be fine. I think maybe our leader has just found his mate. Go ahead,” she urged, hoping her werebear friend would listen and she could keep them from spilling blood.
Greg glanced down to his injured charge, still out cold. He then looked up at Tony as if pondering if the young woman would indeed be safe. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he gave a short nod and handed the woman over to Tony.