Book excerpt: A cursed bloodline. A bloodthirsty beast. A single bite. The only thing Loren Bell cared about was passing all of her college finals and getting some much-needed sleep. She didn’t account for having a dropped-down, dragged-out fight for her life with a mythical creature (who by all accounts shouldn’t exist). Hanging on by a thread, she ended up in the clutches of a mysterious man named Solomon Kane and his team of hunters known only as “spiders.” In an attempt to escape, Loren comes face to face with another prisoner, Niklaus Grimm—a Lycan who was losing the battle with his beast. The unlikely pair formed an alliance, leaving Niklaus to help Loren as the bite she received awakens the Lycan gene in her body. As they navigate their fragile bond, things become more complicated as old friends turn to enemies and insidious plans begin to unfurl around them. Niklaus knows that his only weakness now is the fragile female with hair as fiery as her tongue. He can only hope that he has the power to protect her because their enemies are willing to destroy her if it means getting what they want.