Lilane wants Sudhraian blood on her blade for what they did to her fianci and family in the early days of the Nordanese-Sudhraian war. She stalks and intends to kill Lord Rue d'Ange, the first Sudhraian she sees after the bloody attack on her village. Instead, Rue captures her before she can carry out her plan. Rue recognizes the anger in Lilane and also the pain and vulnerability beneath it. He vows to turn her rage into sexual passion and knows just how to stoke her dark desires. As Rue seduces Lilane, he draws her into a dangerous bluff designed to win Nordan an edge in the war and gain protection for his hunted people, the Aviat. In the end Rue and Lilane might both lose their hearts. and perhaps their lives ( )