Population

She thinks she can steal from me, the little human. Adorable. I can't decide what will be more fun—the hunt or what I will do to her when I catch her. And I will catch her. There is nowhere she can run. Abel was of perfectly sound body and mind when she looted the Other's corpse. He looked dead. Wait. Did he just smirk up at her? No. Definitely not...

I can see his scars, but he thinks all I can see are his scars. I see more. The fighter, the sword, the shield, and I'm convinced that the only monstrous thing about him is the way he watches me like I'm something to be devoured. Surviving the brutality of Population wasn't on Diego's f***ing bucket list. But when a merry band of scavengers peels him off of the side of the road, patches him up, and insists he join their mixed human-Other community, he's got no choice.

Justice dealer of the seven regions, Lahve is tasked with maintaining order. His focus should be on that, not on a female who is too young for him by several hundred lifetimes. She has been scarred by this world, and Lahve cannot undo her past. She wants to be left alone, but he cannot do that, either because when enemy gangs move to overtake their community, he needs her help to track them into Population and cut them off. She fears recapture. How can he make her understand that he is the most powerful creature in this world and he will slaughter any who venture too close?