Tyriel, the half-breed daughter of an elvish prince and a Wildling lady, had heard it said that a union between an angel and an incubus would have been better suited than the love-match between her parents that led to her creation. Since her mother died giving birth to her, she doesn't have much of an opinion, but she grew up among her father's people, feeling oddly apart. Once of age, she set off on her own and sold her sword to make a living. As a hired sword, she fought with all the passion her mother's Wildling blood gave her, while the magic of her father's, the reclusive fae, burned in her veins. Even outside the fae lands, she is often the outsider looking in and has grown used to hiding her loneliness behind laughter and a teasing smile. Until Aryn, the powerful, sinfully seductive swordsman catches her eye, her heart and her soul. Aryn, drawn though he might be to the half-fae merc with wicked eyes and a seductive laugh, knows better than to give his heart to a woman so different from him. Part Wildling, part elf, Tyriel is everything magical in the world and he's only a hired sword. Yet, the two of them bonded and spent years working at each other's side and guarding the other's back. Destructive secrets and hidden needs drove a wedge between them, eroding a trust built through sweat, blood and battle. When it all falls apart and when Aryn's longtime partner disappears without a trace, Aryn knows in his gut that danger has befallen Tyriel. He must look deep inside himself to find the truth and that might require him to lay open his heart in ways he can't imagine. Warning: book contains violence, implied off-the-page sexual assault