He was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. His fated mate? The gorgeous U.S. Marshal transporting him ...

Once, Cooper was a U.S. Marshal with a distinguished career. Now he's a prisoner, accused of murder, with his inner griffin suppressed and maybe even dead. He's being transported across the country in leg chains. This isn't how he planned on meeting the woman of his dreams.

Gretchen is used to not fitting in. She's a quirk of nature: the one human in a family of lynx shifters. Now she's a U.S. Marshal who shares an office with a dragon, a pegasus, and a wolf. This is just one more prisoner transport, right?

... wrong.

By law, he's her prisoner. By fate, he's her partner … and so much more.

Being moved to another prison gives Cooper the perfect chance to escape. But it could cost Gretchen her career, and leave her to deal alone with the supernatural killers on their heels and the winter blizzard roaring down on them. Gretchen is beautiful, funny, and tough as nails—she could even be enough to bring his griffin back to life. And he can't protect her in chains.

All the rules say nothing can happen between them.

But Cooper's done following the rules. Some things are more important. Like Gretchen's life. And no one ever said true love was easy ....