Martine Brooks is in a pickle. Derrick Adams is in a jam. Pickles and jam. Not exactly a hot combo. Unless the "pickle" is a sultry, sassy cat shifter and the "jam" is a gorgeous hunk of wolf. Derrick is cursed to die if he doesn't make the woot-woot with his life mate on the night of the next full moon. Martine's been held captive by a power-hungry warlock for six long months, forced to do his bidding before finding herself stuffed in a cat carrier and ditched at a 7-Eleven. After rescuing her from a dumpster, Derrick and Martine strike a mutually beneficial deal: mate, save a life, walk away-both alive and kicking. Win! Yet, there are kinks in the plan. Like the fact that Martine's one-time captor is on the hunt, planning to extinguish all of her nine lives at once. Or the fact the curse threatening Derrick's life is about to throw him a monster curve ball. But the biggest kink might prove to be Derrick and Martine themselves, two avowed commitment-phobes . . . who are beginning to wonder what forever looks like. Contains mature themes.