Nothing comes easy for Darian. Her heightened powers make her indispensable to the Shaede Nation, but dangerous missions have driven her lover, Tyler, to his breaking point. Darian must salvage their bond, but a new assignment to protect Anya, a fellow Shaede and the first of their kind to become pregnant in centuries, stands in the way. It doesn't help that the two Shaedes are longtime rivals and share nothing besides mutual hatred. But when it becomes clear that someone, or something, is bent on destroying the expectant mother and her unborn child, Darian must put her feelings aside and track down Anya's would-be assassin. As she probes into Anya's past, Darian digs up long-buried secrets and a startling connection between Tyler and the mission that could destroy everything between them.