Elena Cross – late 20s, sharp, guarded, carrying guilt and fear after witnessing a crime that destroyed her normal life. Caleb Ward – early 30s, her court-appointed protector. Controlled, unreadable… and hiding a past that should have disqualified him from saving anyone. She testified against a monster. Now she’s locked in a room with another. Elena Cross is supposed to be safe. Protected. Hidden. What she didn’t expect was Caleb Ward—the man assigned to guard her life and unravel her control. Caleb doesn’t make promises. He makes rules. And every rule brings her closer to a man whose past is soaked in violence and silence. As fear turns into need and protection becomes possession, Elena must decide which will destroy her first— the man hunting her… or the man she’s falling for.