Leopard's Kiss (Shadow Guardians #1)
In New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Rowe's new Shadow Guardians series, an ice-cold assassin who stalks the darkest fringes of society is forced to become the guardian of the woman he is supposed to kill.Slade Cross, known as the Black Swan, became an assassin the night his family was murdered. He has evolved into a deadly, silent killer who lives in the shadows, existing in isolation. No one ever sees him or remembers him, and his existence is no more than a legend, whispered in fear by those who he will hunt. He connects with no one...ever...until a hit gone wrong forces him to accept the one assignment he'd never thought he'd take: to save instead of kill.Slade has no concept of mercy, of humanity, of connection, and yet those are exactly what his new charge, Anya Diaz, demands of him. Desperate to save her kidnapped sister, Anya compels Slade to engage emotionally, dragging them both deeper into the twisted, deadly world of the shifter black market. Fierce passion ignites between the two guarded souls, but rising danger threatens to unravel every step they take toward survival. Will the secrets they've both been hiding destroy what little they have left, or will their growing connection empower them to prevail against an enemy far worse than either of them imagined?