The Hidden Demon — Monica La Porta

A pariah among paranormals, Peter can touch the dead and read their last thoughts. Once an angel, now a demon, he is only tolerated by most because of his gift. Cursed with the power of influencing every woman or man he touches, Peter has lost any hope to experience true intimacy and companionship. Headstrong and sensual as only werewolves can be, Ophelia is desperately in love with her best friend, Samuel, who is in love with someone else. In the middle of her personal crisis, Rome is taken by storm by the latest archeology discovery, and as a forensic anthropologist, Ophelia is called to shed some light on the remains of a young couple embraced for eternity. Peter is sent to the site to help identify the dead. Amidst Roman villas' ruins and a mystery that has lasted for two millennia, he meets the striking werewolf, and Ophelia's exotic beauty and sharp tongue pique his interest immediately. Ophelia, too, is affected by Peter's magnetism. Despite her heart belonging to someone else, Ophelia feels a pull toward Peter at first sight. An attraction that only grows stronger despite her doubts. Unfortunately, what has started like any other reading for Peter soon becomes a nightmare in which real enemies from several factions want him and Ophelia dead rather than let them discover the truth. Will they survive a manhunt the likes of which Rome has never seen? But most of all, will Peter and Ophelia remain unscathed by the fire of their burning passion?