Science can create many things, but only a troublemaking Mardu can introduce Erin to the wonders of love. Rafe of Mardu has a problem. He's sent to baby-sit his troublesome older brother, and in the process finds himself kidnapped by a woman too perfect to be real, with the strength of an inhumanly powerful being. To make matters worse, he's mistaken for his old alter-ego, Cheltam--a criminal mastermind who actually serves as a cover for Rafe's real work as a lawman. But Erin, his kidnapper, needs his help, and Rafe is unable to deny the protective instincts, as well as the lust, he feels in her presence. He agrees to help her, posing as Cheltam. And they seal the deal with more than a kiss, in an act that changes Rafe's world forever. When he learns that this special woman is a Creation, an 'abomination' in the eyes of the System and one that is to be terminated on sight, Rafe doesn't just bend the rules, he breaks them. Together, he and Erin will take on the laboratory that created her. The odds are against them, but if they're successful, Rafe plans on a future with the woman he considers his mate...if only he can convince her that his love is real.