Dorian Vane is the true heir, brought home at last. But the old estate wears its gilt on the outside and something else within. The house has never accepted him. He is a stranger in his own bloodline, met with cold glances from the parents who bore him and a smile from the false heir who hides a blade behind his back. Then he walks into a castle, and a mad Vampire fixes her gaze on him. "Be my pet," she says. "I will give you everything you want." Theaviane has lived sealed away from the world, untouched by the passage of years. The day a beautiful human stumbles into her castle and lifts his face, she sees it at once: numb and defiant, a drowning man fighting for one more breath. She decides in that instant. She decides absolutely. In the beginning. She: What do you want? He: I want to be loved. Later. He was crying. "Even possession. Just possess me." She said, "You're free." In the end. She slid a ring onto his finger. "Stay with me. Tell me. Will you?" "Yes." Dorian: It's all right if you can't love me. I'll deceive myself. I'll tell myself this is love. Theaviane: If I were capable of love… the one I loved would be him.