Two ancient hunters have awakened to the world of the living. These are the 
oldest of the Carpathians and to many were only known in legend. Not one of 
the Carpathians has any idea that these two great ones live. They are twins 
one of whom is still a hunter and one of whom has turned vampire and is the 
hunted. 

Centuries ago neither could best the other so the hunter surprised his brother 
and trapped himself and his twin in the earth to sleep. Something in the 
current times has awakened the vampire, thus the game of wits begins again. 
Though Lucian is a vampire he is like non other, he is cunning and quite 
capable of thinking for himself. He does kill though not indiscriminately. 
This makes things just that much harder for his twin to best him. The bond 
between the two had been so strong before Lucian turned vampire that they still 
share information now. What one sees the other knows about. They link to each 
other in a way that other Carpathians don't. Such is the bond for twins. This 
is only one of the problems that Gabriel must face. 

How do you hunt down your only brother? How do you best the one that has 
taught you all you know? Is there even a possibility of besting one with such 
extreme strength? These are not the only dilemna's that Gabriel must face. 
When he awakens to find his brother gone he must now become acquainted with the 
world as it is today. When doing so Gabriel finds something he had given up on 
long ago. His lifemate, the one person that can allow him to feel and see 
colors once again.

Now Francesca is not so thrilled that her lifemate has come back. Gabriel 
unknowingly rejected her many years ago and Francesca had long since gone on 
with her life. As a matter of fact Francesca was so successful that she had 
learned to live as a human. Through a special diet and many years Francesca 
has perfected the art passing for human. She can walk in the daylight and 
better yet vampires and other Carpathians alike are not able to detect her 
presence. This has awarded Francesca a measure of freedom that no other 
Carpathian woman is able to attain. Freedom from the males of her race and 
from being sought after as a lifemate. Francesca has also been able to live a 
productive life. She helps the homeless find shelter, heals those that are 
unhealable and has done many other good deeds.

During these long years alone Francesca has grown weary. She had finally 
decided to settle down with a human doctor and grow old and die with him. Then 
Gabriel comes along and all those plans are thrown out the window. Though 
Brice the doctor that Francesca was going to settle down with isn't very happy 
about this change in plans. As a matter of fact he is downright pissed and 
becomes obsessed with Francesca, and hates Gabriel. In an effort to keep 
Francesca around him Brice asks for Francesca's help with a battered young 
girl. When Francesca she agrees to help, what she finds is beyond anything she 
imagined. This girl named Skyler has withdrawn inside herself to try and 
escape the physical, mental and sexual abuse done to her. From the looks of 
her father he isn't finished with her, well atleast that's what he things until 
Gabriel comes to the rescue. 

After Gabriel does what is necessary Francesca seeks to include Skyler in her 
new family. Though she and Gabriel have a lot to work out and there is 
resentment about his rejection they are lifemates after all. They are tied to 
each other in a way that no one else could be. During all this getting 
acquainted and other incidents, Lucian is always there. He is there in 
Skyler's mind, he is there when Gabriel fights other vampires he is there when 
they think he isn't. The one thing that not only mystifies Gabriel but also 
Francesca is what makes Lucian so different then other vampires? Why does he 
help his brother when others are around? Is it just to keep others from 
destroying the game as he claims? Is it that there is still some remaining 
feelings for his brother? Or, is it as I truly like to believe that somewhere 
deep inside there is still a bit of humanity left to Lucian? The answer to 
this may truly surprise you.

I loved this book as much as I do all of Christine Feehan's books. Though
there were many different storylines going on it did nothing to detract
from the main story. As with all of Ms. Feehan's books this one just 
made me want much more.