Two ancient relics. Two feral, supernatural species. One fight for control. Some families are born in blood.

For almost a century, the Clutch has been confined by a small boundary. All attempts to cross it have failed miserably, with no survivors to tell their tales. Chloe and the other vampires long for the life they had before. Back when they could roam and hunt freely. Back when they had control over the wolves.

Back before the wolves found that damnable Book and locked them within a few miserable square miles of rock and brush at the edge of Lake Kwanashishing.

The wolves have a standing proposal: they would consider a compromise if a vampire escaped the inescapable boundary and met on the pack's land. Typical wolves.

Chloe believes she may have found a way, though the very thought makes her uneasy. Vampires should never try to cross running water, after all. Then there's the fact that the wolves' pack leader and the Clutch's First hate each other. And as the second, Chloe is bound to protect her leader.

But when the moment comes, Chloe is shocked to find she is more concerned for the safety of a sad little boy than she is for that of her First. Can she save him from her First, or from the pack? Can she do it without invoking the ire of her Clutch and jeopardizing their one chance at freedom?

"So many of the most brutal aspects of this story are so beautifully told!" - Jennifer Dinsmore, editor of The Aphotic series