Chicago — 21 years ago…

The fae ran in her animal form through the too-still forest, the sound of crashing behind her. They were close. Soon they would be upon her, so she needed a place to hide.

A howl rose in the night air as the unforgiving moon illuminated the path ahead. The Juarez shifters were close. Of the main types of fae, the shifters were the most vicious, and Adam Juarez’s gang was the most bloodthirsty … besides hers.

The fae who could manipulate light and those that dealt in shadows weren’t much better, but they didn’t have a rivalry, like the Juarez and Daniels fae. Years of animosity had turned to hatred, and hatred had turned to violence between the two families. Not a week would pass without rumors of a skirmish, and the death toll rose steadily day by day.

Sylvia Daniels knew it must be a Juarez shifter who chased her. Her dappled silver fur glinted in the moonlight as she ran in her snow leopard form. When the Juarezes attacked, they always came in a pack, and Sylvia wasn’t willing to be caught alone with them.

As she ran, she soon noticed tiny crying which sounded from nearby, urgent and pitiful. It didn’t sound like a child, more like a baby’s wail. Sylvia slowed, hesitating. What was a baby doing out here in no man’s land?

As she neared the source of the cries, Sylvia saw a tiny bundle lying on the forest floor: a helpless babe. The child was human, and it was all alone.

She shifted into her human form, her long black hair spilling over her shoulders as she knelt and peered at the babe. Her green eyes widened in concern. She couldn’t leave the girl here to die. That would be cruel.

With no children of their own, Pablo and Sylvia Daniels had longed for a child for years. But after a decade of trying and failing to conceive, she felt an immediate connection. So, she picked up the swaddled infant and cradled her to her chest as she ran.

The Juarez shifters’ howls and growls faded into the distance the closer she got to home. Pablo and Sylvia’s mansion was a sprawling estate with thick white columns and sculptures dotting the well-manicured lawn. It had been in the Daniels family for three generations. Sylvia hurried up the stone steps and opened the front door.

“Pablo!” she called. “Come look at what I’ve found!”

The running had lulled the child into calm, but now that she’d stopped, the baby’s cries resumed in full force.

“Sylvia,” Pablo Daniels said, appearing at the top of the stairs. “What’s this? What’s going on?”

“I found this one in the woods. She was all alone. Abandoned.”

Pablo descended the steps and stopped in front of Sylvia. “Well, we can’t have that, now, can we? Hello, little one,” he cooed.

“Perhaps this is the blessing we needed. Shall we keep her?” Sylvia gave him a pleading look, and Pablo’s eyes softened.

“Yes. She’s ours,” he said, letting the babe wrap her hand around his finger. “What shall we call her?”

“I was thinking … Claire.”

* * *

Claire Daniels — Present Day.

Today was my twenty-first birthday, and two important things would be happening today. First, the long-awaited peace and trade treaty would be signed, uniting the Juarez cartel and the Daniels mob in the first peaceful relations in … well, ever. And second, I would be allowed to break my rule of not socializing with anyone outside the household in … also ever.

That didn’t mean I’d be allowed to leave the house. No, that had never happened. Mom and Dad said it was for my protection. But for the first time, guests would be coming to our mansion. To say I was excited would be an understatement.

The peace and trade treaty meant an end to the fighting between the two largest families of fae, as well as more money, resources, and protection from the police. Adam Juarez himself would be there. He was the leader of the Juarez cartel and rumored to be as devastatingly handsome as he was devastatingly vicious.

After years of being kept locked away, I was both excited and nervous to mingle, and I was determined to look my best. I dressed in a flowing white dress with a slit up to mid-thigh, and I wore my chocolate-brown hair in loose waves. Sandals adorned my feet, and I wore a gold bracelet on my right wrist.

Would everyone like me? Would they think I was weird? How did one start and carry on a conversation without coming across as sheltered? My only interactions until now had been with my family and the staff at our estate. I’d read a lot of books, though, so it wasn’t like I was uneducated. I was just … inexperienced. Yeah, let’s go with that.

It was time for me to make my grand entrance. As the sounds of the party in full swing drifted up to me, I braced myself for what I’d wanted my whole life. Then I exited my room and descended the tall stairs.

A gorgeous, dark-haired man stood at the bottom of the steps, talking to my father. His full lips turned down at the corners as he frowned, but then his eyes shifted to me. My heart missed a beat, and I nearly stumbled on the steps as time seemed to stand still. The rest of the party faded as over gazes locked, and I didn’t care about the sheer amount of people that filled the house.

In that moment, I only saw him.

The man stopped talking mid-sentence and took one step toward me. My father’s eyes ricocheted like ping-pong balls between me and the gorgeous man. “Impossible,” the man said when I reached the bottom step. “Excuse me, Pablo.”

He walked away from my father and approached me. “I don’t believe it,” the man said.

“What?” I breathed.

He merely shook his head. “Sorry. I should introduce myself. I’m Adam.”

“The Adam, as in Adam Juarez?” I asked eloquently, then I mentally cursed myself for being so awkward.

The corners of his lips tilted upward, revealing dimples. “The very same.” He brought my knuckles to his lips, and a shock passed through me at his touch. “You must be Claire. Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” I was melting. I wouldn’t be surprised if I turned into a puddle on the ground.

“You are exquisite. I’m surprised the Daniels are finally letting you out into society.” He glanced at my father, who was watching us from across the room. “I knew they had a daughter, but considering no one has ever seen you, I—and many others—thought you to be little more than rumor. But the reality is much more … intriguing.”

“Thanks, I guess. And thank you for coming,” I said, moving to step around him.

Adam grabbed my arm. “Wait. I—” He shook his head, then he started again. “Don’t you feel that?”

I did feel something. Every time he touched me, it was like an electric current passed through me where our skin connected. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I didn’t know what it was.

He slid his hand down to mine and rubbed his thumb in slow circles over the back of my palm. I shivered involuntarily. Something was definitely happening, but I had no idea what. Adam didn’t explain. Instead, he murmured, “I can’t believe it’s you.”

Just then, my mother, Sylvia Daniels, walked up. “Claire! You have to come meet someone.” Taking my hand, she dragged me away from Adam Juarez, who stared after me like I was the first breath of air he’d had in years.

I let my mother lead me to a tall, thin fae with long blonde hair. She had eyes the color of the sky and wore a turquoise sundress that matched them.

“Claire, this is Aurora Thompson, head of the order of light fae.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” I said.

“Likewise.” Aurora turned to Mom. “My clan is, as always, at your disposal, Sylvia. I’m sure I can count on you to handle the problem we discussed?”

Mom waved a hand dismissively. “Yes, yes. I’ll send extra guards to your borders. The dark fae won’t get to your vaults.”

Tensions were high between the light fae, who could manipulate energy to create light and heat, and the dark fae, who could manipulate shadows to appear invisible and to choke out the air in a space, among other things. The dark fae had teamed up with some of the fae who could cast illusions in an effort to steal something valuable from the light fae’s vault.

“Splendid,” Aurora said.

Mom turned to me. “Claire, why don’t you go mingle with your guests while Aurora and I discuss something?”

I nodded. It was a clear dismissal, but my parents often kept me in the dark about their business. I was used to it. Pablo and Sylvia Daniels ran a fae cartel, pushing fae drugs, weapons, and other contraband. They thought it was too dangerous for me—a human—to be a part of, and I was okay with that. I didn’t want to be involved in their crime schemes.

Looking around at all the unfamiliar party guests, I felt extremely uncomfortable. It was unnerving, socializing with strangers after a lifetime of isolation. As much as I hated to disobey my mom, I had no idea how to speak to these fae. So, I ended up standing in a corner of the room and observing.

That was where Adam found me again. “What’s the matter? Aren’t you enjoying your birthday?”

“I don’t know any of these people,” I admitted.

“You know me,” he said with a wink.

I laughed. “True, but we just met. So, do I really know you?”

His gaze turned intense as he murmured, “I’d like you to.”

My breath caught as my stomach did little flips.

“What do you do for fun, Claire?” he asked, as if he hadn’t just made a bold statement. “Aside from being locked away like Rapunzel, of course.”

I frowned. What did I do? “I paint,” I said finally.

“Really?” Adam’s eyes lit up. “What do you paint?”

“Mostly scenes I find captivating or inspiring. Places I want to go or things I’ve seen in movies. Sometimes people.” That sounded really sad now that I said it aloud. My only experience with new places was the scenes of my paintings, and I doubted I’d get to visit any of their actual locations.

“Will you show me?” Adam asked.

“I don’t know…. They’re really not that good,” I said.

“Please?” He pushed his full lower lip out in a pleading expression. It was too adorable to resist.

“Well… okay.” I motioned for Adam to follow me, then I led him to my bedroom—the last place I needed to be alone with a man who should be my enemy.