Book excerpt: Lauren has a protective streak a mile wide and her goal is to get her best friend out of an abusive household. If that involves a little bat-based redecorating, so be it. Grayslake police officer Van Abrams's handcuffs make Lauren tingle. Then he becomes overbearing, demanding, and commanding. Suddenly Lauren finds herself in his arms, in his bed, and mated to his werebear butt. What's up with that? His bear has decided Lauren is his mate, and Van's anti-human feelings have abandoned him.