In which an underground fighter in desperate need of anger management and a snarky mafia boss make a deal with an explosive reaction. ... Some people were born lucky with silver spoons in their mouths and trust funds established long before they were born; others were born with dirt underneath their fingernails, barely scraping by. Twenty-three-year-old underground fighter Linus Ward was used to the latter. Raised in the foster system and bounced from one bad situation to another, Linus learned early on that surviving wasn't a simple task but having his foster siblings did make it a lot easier. However, when Linus' foster sister got caught up in a con gone wrong, what should've been a routine identity switch and a clean getaway ended with spilled blood on her hands and a target on her back. To guarantee his sister's safety, Linus was forced to make a deal with someone as dangerous as the people hunting him: recently-named mafia boss Teodoro Raymond. A paid bodyguard position with guaranteed safety should have been a good thing. Yet, when sparks started to fly and the lines between protection and obsession blur, Linus was left to decide if he was clawing his way out of the world that's always tried to chew him up, or falling even deeper into it.

I was sold to the Russian MOB when I was three years old. It's the only life I know. I am eighteen years old and the best assassin the MOB has ever had. The one person I thought would be with me through thick and thin left me to become the animal I am today. Luka Maksim. Now he's back for good. I have to pretend. Pretend that he doesn't affect me. Pretend that I don't love him. Pretend that my heart doesn't beat only for him. And to top it off there's a stalker after him. I have to keep him safe and stay alive. I am so going to decimate this person when I find them. No one threatens me and the one I love and live to talk about it. I'm going to tear out their entrails and strangle them with it. Only one problem with the above. Luka doesn't want me to unleash my wrath on them. I'm torn between wanting to protect him and please him. Can I be anything other than the Panther? Can I keep my demon on a leash?