An ancient pact was once broken by the theft of Summer’s prince. Now, the Red King has found him. To live, to love, they seek the dark side of the sun… A thousand years ago, Milesian invaders gained ownership of Ireland from Summer’s Queen through trickery. Since that day, the green isle’s native sidhe have been imprisoned in their hidden kingdom, bound by their ancient pact with the Milesians. Now, the treaty has been violated. The Milesians have stolen Bran Fionnan, the son of Summer’s queen. Trapped in the human world with no way of returning home, Bran is held under a death threat that forces him to work for his captors. He must forge weapons the Milesian huntresses can use to slay their new foe—the Red King. The Red King is Macsen Cadoc, a vampire—a hunter who cannot stand being hunted. He seeks vengeance for the Milesian attacks in spilled blood—Milesian blood, and the blood of the sidhe traitor who has forged their weapons. When the one he finds is a victim, not a traitor, everything changes. Bran Fionnan is the Milesians’ most valuable prize, but from the moment Macsen sees him, he wants him…and the Red King is not accustomed to being denied—by anyone. What begins with desire may end in extraordinary ways, but first there are questions that must be answered. What is love? Can it help Bran overcome lost ties and a lifetime’s worth of anger? Can it help the Red King gain more than the satisfaction of his lusts?

For the first time in ten thousand years, Myrddin has what he wants—Kas for his lover again. Now that the Black King is his once more, Myrddin is desperate to make sure he keeps him. The vision that came to him in the Spring madness is beginning to come true, and the terrifying loss at the blank end of that vision drives Myrddin to do anything that might prevent it. He will even live among mortals for a while. Even help the High King of Britain, Uther Pendragon, win the woman he wants. While Myrddin plots and Kas worries over him, Macsen and Bran have decided to put their own concerns to rest. Macsen is hungry for Dealla’s life and Bran will no longer deny his lover what he wants. Only Dealla herself still stands in their way. To save herself, and make one last attempt on the Red King’s life, she has forged stolen Summer weapons into golden chains. With Macsen captive, this time it is Bran who must rescue his lover…but the cost may be too much for him to bear. Is love really worth any price?