Ariana never expected to care about the dragon that kidnapped her, but after five years together, they've grown to be close friends. He's truly as much a prisoner as she is, commanded by the mysterious "master" who orchestrated her abduction.<br><br>But when her dragon is abruptly torn away from her, Ariana is faced with a new guardian, the irksome and ill-tempered Braith. Is this new dragon a captor or a friend ... or something else? How far should she go to protect him from her own would-be rescuers? And when his master is finally revealed, will it mean freedom at last, or only greater danger?

<i>From the pen of Shelly Greene writing as Elizabeth Belyeu ...</i><br><br>It's supposed to be a symbiotic relationship: the Shadow serves and protects the human Lumi, the Lumi feeds and cares for the Shadow. But when Damon’s Lumi died young and severed the bond between them, he declined to go with her like a good little Shadow. Yes, it hurts. Yes, he's cold and hungry all the time. And yes, his own people call him an abomination. But for the first time, Damon's life is his own, and he’s never going back.<br><br>Or so he thinks, until he meets Naomi, a pregnant college student, and bonds to her as his new Lumi. Which has never happened to a Shadow before.<br><br>Naomi has enough problems on her plate, juggling college and a crappy survival job, preparing for a baby, and getting over her cheating ex-husband. The last thing she needs is a dark, brooding fellow like Damon depending on her physically and emotionally, and hating her for it. But a vigilante among Damon's people has his sights set on Naomi -- and they both know Damon is her only chance for survival.