He hadn’t bothered to leave a note. There was no one to read it except for his cousin, and Christian would understand. Hunter Caldwell was tired of this miserable, lonely existence otherwise known as his life. It was a chore just to see himself through the day; to wake up in the morning and drag himself out of bed, to ignore people’s gawking as he got his morning coffee at the convenience store, to withstand eight hours of drudgery each and every day with coworkers who wouldn’t look him in t...

Prologue “How are you enjoying your birthday celebration?” Gannon Marsdon asked his little sister as he escorted her through the ballroom doors that led out onto the moon-and-lantern-lit gardens outside their home. Most of the guests had already begun to filter outside in anticipation of the last entertainment of the evening, which now remained secret only to the guest of honor. “There are a lot of people I do not know,” Bella whispered uneasily as she was wont to do on such occasions. “But i...