He is her salvation, her lover ... her destiny

Mary waits, trembling in the darkness -- the prisoner of a fearsome tormentor who would have her at any cost. Then a mysterious cloaked figure appears at her dungeon door. A champion has come to free the beautiful lass and carry her off to safety, with arms as powerful and sure as the trees of the forest.

He calls himself Michael, the Dark One. Though he must keep his face hidden from her, Mary is captivated by his strength and kindness ... and irresistibly drawn by his masculine fire toward a most willing and sensuous surrender. But the warrior who once held her captive will stop at nothing to reclaim his prize -- and if Mary does not return to him, many innocents will die. Yet how will she survive if she is forced to abandon the most passionate love she has ever known?