When protection becomes passion, and secrets threaten everything, love must fight its way to the surface.

A high-stakes bodyguard is hired to keep her safe—but the danger comes from the heart he never meant to lose. The boss’s best friend crosses the line from off-limits to all-consuming. A soulful musician finds healing in the arms of a younger man who hears what no one else does.

In the dark corners of the supernatural, a vampire is bound by blood—and by fate—to a love he thought he'd never deserve. A hardened alien warrior risks everything for the mate he’s sworn to protect. A lone alpha carries a secret that could destroy the woman he can’t resist. And in a neon-lit city where humans rebel against code, an AI protector discovers the only variable he can’t calculate: desire.

From the shadows of warzones and wolf packs to music halls and moonlit bedrooms, these seven stories prove that the most powerful bonds are forged not in safety—but in surrender.

Can they protect the ones they love without losing the very parts of themselves they swore to guard?