He is the night's reckoning, the shadow that haunts my dreams. This year, he wants more than just my fear. Halloween is a celebration of the bizarre, the unexpected, the dark. And I've always had a twisted enjoyment that dances with the macabre. Things turn sinister when every guy I date ends up six feet under, courtesy of an obsessed stalker. Like a ravenous beast, the murderer hides in plain sight. His identity? None other than Nyx, my brother's best friend and my secret admirer.

Stone was my best friend. My protector. My everything. Until he wasn’t. Kids like us didn’t have the best life, riddled with trauma, bounced around in a system that didn’t want us and couldn’t handle us. In our darkest hours, we had each other. Until we didn’t. We tried to hold on to what little we had. Maneuvering the rough waters of our circumstance. Until I couldn’t.

I caught the attention of a monster. I didn’t ask for it. Didn’t even see it coming. But the moment I do, it’s too late. Killian Carson is a predator wrapped in sophisticated charm. He’s cold-blooded, manipulative, and savage. The worst part is that no one sees his devil side. I do. And that will cost me everything. I run, but the thing about monsters? They always chase.

I'm wanted. On the lam, running from the law and my mistakes. The house tucked into the trees seems safe—an excellent place to hide out. Once inside, I find something unexpected. A nurse that can do more than heal my wounds. But the longer I'm awake, the more reality starts to blur, and I can't tell what's real and what's not anymore. Plagued by ill fantasies and temptation, I try to keep her safe from me. It works until the lines between us also begin to blur.

There are many rules a priest can't break. A priest cannot marry. A priest cannot abandon his flock. A priest cannot forsake his God. I've always been good at following rules. Until she came. Then I learned new rules.