Trehan Daciano, known as the Prince of Shadows, has spent his life serving his people, striking in the night, quietly executing any threat to their realm. The coldly disciplined swordsman has never desired anything for himself until he beholds Bettina, the sheltered ward of two of the Lores most fearsome villains. Desperate to earn her guardians approval after a life-shattering mistake, young Bettina has no choice but to marry whichever suitor prevails -- even though shes lost her heart to another. Yet one lethal competitor, a mysterious cloaked swordsman, invades her dreams, tempting her with forbidden pleasure. Even if Trehan can survive the punishing contests to claim her as his wife, the true battle for Bettinas heart is yet to come. And unleashing a millenniums worth of savage need will either frighten his Bride away -- or stoke Bettinas own desires to a fever pitch.