For centuries, the beautiful vampire aristocrat Marissa was trapped in a loveless marriage. Even after the bond was finally dissolved, her future is anything but bright: Marissa faces an eternal life filled with loneliness and without a companion. However, the tide seems to turn when she encounters the ruggedly handsome cop Butch at the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Black Dagger: For the first time in her life, Marissa experiences what it means to desire someone and to be desired in return. But Butch is human, and a relationship between a human and a vampire is not only frowned upon – it is also dangerous...