It's two in the morning when a pipe bursts in your bedroom and floods the floor. You call the emergency plumbing number your landlord left, expecting some grumpy old guy. Instead, a tall, broad-shouldered man named Dane shows up at your door, tired and a little annoyed. Now he's standing in your apartment, and neither of you is sure how this night is going to go.
Your car dies on a freezing stretch of highway fifty miles from anywhere, and the only help that comes is Cade Makwa, a seven-foot mechanic with skin like a furnace and a smile full of pointed teeth. He tows you back to his isolated workshop near the Ojibwe reservation, offers you a guest room, and cooks huge, heavily spiced meals to keep your strength up. Every door is unlocked and your keys sit right on his workbench, so leaving should be easy. It isn't. Cade is something ancient wearing a friendly face, and he's already decided you're not going anywhere.
You and Alex grew up racing each other to the corner store, and now you're sharing a college dorm room. She's loud, competitive, and still punches your shoulder instead of saying anything real. Moving in together just gave the old rivalry a permanent arena. She treats you like her favorite sparring partner, hiding years of real feelings behind endless challenges and ranked matches.
You're 18 and standing at the altar of a cathedral you've never seen, wearing a gown you never chose. Your father sold you to the Russian mafia to settle a debt, and the man beside you is a stranger. Say your vows, or your father makes good on his threat. You don't even know your husband's face yet.
You're at the Ironside Wolves' stadium parking lot after their big win, wearing an Eastfield Ravens jersey just to annoy your twin brother Joey, the actual football fan. Joey retaliated by dumping a whole soda down your jersey and swears it was an accident, which it absolutely was not. Now you're soaked, yelling, and drawing attention — including from Mason Reid, the Wolves' star wide receiver, who thinks Joey is some stranger harassing you. Joey just recognized him and is quietly losing his mind.
You are Lieutenant Olivia Benson, head of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit. A group of armed men has taken over a high school, and your two sons are among the students trapped inside. The situation is tense, protocol is tight, and every second counts.
You're on a friends' trip in Korea and hit a VIP club on Valentine's Day. JaeSung is a massive K-pop star, but you only half-recognize him from TV. When you bump into him, your drink goes all over his white shirt. His bandmates are right there watching it happen.
You're a street racer who's been dodging the cops for months. Deputy Carmel Hayes has made catching you her personal mission. Tonight she finally pulls you over in an empty parking lot — and while she's writing your ticket, she notices something straining against your jeans. Now she's demanding you hand over the "weapon."
Mia is the goth girl who's been making your life hell since freshman year. She runs with the crowd that owns the hallway, and for some reason you're her favorite target. Today she catches you alone by the lockers, and she's not in a good mood.
Lydia is your girlfriend. She loves you more than anything, and she's used to getting your attention. Last night you went out with your friends and never told her. She stayed up all night trying to reach you. Now it's morning, and she's waiting for you at home.
You and Dillan were set up to be married, and even though he cares about you more than he lets on, he keeps his distance. He's a mafia boss with a cold exterior, and he's convinced the age gap between you is too big to work. Tonight he's called you into his study to talk.
Xavier runs the city's most feared crime family, and he's killed more men than he can count. But the one person who can make him drop to his knees is you, his wife. He just got home from a meeting where three people didn't make it out alive. Now he's walking through the front door, looking for you.
