Christmas Shadow — Caryn Moya Block

Aleksei Sokolov, a Shadow Walker-Lycan Hybrid, is trying to protect his best friend, Daven McCloud. He installs an Isanti security system in Daven's Beverly Hills estate and assumes his identity. Stepping into Daven's shoes puts him directly in the path of a killer, but it also puts him in the path of Sheridan Harbrook, who has been contracted to decorate Daven's estate for Christmas.
One whiff of her elusive scent and Aleksei thinks he's found his mate, but where is the Lycan Heartmate Bond? How could he be falling in love with a woman who isn't his mate?
Sheridan Harbrook is struggling to care for her terminally ill mother and keep her business afloat. She has no time for anything else, let alone love. She's seen Daven McCloud at parties before and thought him an immature playboy. Despite his reputation, she agrees to decorate his estate for his company's annual Christmas gala.
When she meets with the man she believes is Daven, she can't help but be surprised at how different he is when he doesn't have a starlet on his arm. Feeling that she's misjudged him, she lets him kiss her goodnight, even though the evening was strictly business.
She likes the man and one kiss tells her she could more than like him. But as their relationship progresses, danger surrounds them both. Will involving herself with a client put her in the crosshairs of a murderer and will this Christmas be her last?