This is book 8 of the Eternal Flames series, you should read Eternal Flames 1-7 and book 1-3 of Eternal Flames Maddox before this book.Police Chief Nash Savino and his mate Toby Everly have spent five years teasing and flirting with one another. That is, when Toby wasn't avoiding Nash at every turn. Nash has had many reservations about letting Toby in and getting close to the little hottie. One, he knows his mate is lying and hiding things, and as the Police Chief for the town of Crystal, as well as being mates, that is unacceptable. And two, Nash knows that once he lets Toby in, the little Santorini Fox will have him wrapped around his little finger, and that thought scares Nash. When Toby is brutally attacked and left for dead, everything changes. Nash realizes that all of the games have been useless and he could very well spend the rest of his life alone, never knowing the true love of a mate. Sitting by his mate's hospital bed, praying for Toby to come back to him, Nash knows that if he is lucky enough for his mate to survive, then he would gladly give his heart to his mate, and all the crap from the past can be worked out, allowing them to move forward together.At least, that was his thought until a new danger comes to Crystal, threatening not just his mate, but all the residents of Crystal.