Diamonds & Dust — Laura Harner

As the time for Jamal ‘Jet' Gorman's first official pack meeting as the de facto Alpha nears, there are rumblings of others who would fight him to the death for the position. Jet isn't certain that's not a fitting way to exit this world...even if it puts the werewolves he's sworn to protect in the hands of a ruthless killer. A trip to the bayou with the ancient and enigmatic new vampire in town changes everything -- in ways Jet would never have predicted. Now his new mission is safeguarding his late partner's secret.

Nicolino Sanzio da Urbino -- Nico to his friends, if he had any -- has been undead for centuries, and given the betrayals in his own past, it shouldn't surprise him the depths some will go to in order to seize a power to which they have no claim. His new position with the Odd Squad provides a lot of latitude to dispense justice, so when he discovers a plot to rid the local pack of their second Alpha in as many months, Nico decides it's time to go hunting. That is until he meets Jet and everything gets…personal.

With hearts as hard as diamonds, neither man is seeking the odd connection that seems to flow between them -- but the winds of change blowing through the Crescent City seem to have everyone on edge -- and not all challenges are as simple as they seem. With more and more monsters coming out of the closet, only time will tell if these two survive long enough to play the hand they've been dealt -- before they become dust in the wind.