On the eve of her appointment to the elite Queen's Guard, Alna Lomig bumps into Gared ab Einif. Her wariness of the handsome Pruxnae melts under his roguish charm, softening her resistance to his gentle courtship. When he sneaks into her room in the House of Jakuv, she offers one night of shelter and nothing more, certainly not the kiss he's come to claim.

Gared has more than a single kiss on his mind. He's searching for the one woman who can give him his most secret desire. To get it, he's not above kidnapping a beautiful Lady Warrior and hiding her away in her home planet's dense jungle.

The jungle holds more than refuge. Within its verdant foliage lurks a danger even a wily Pruxnae isn't prepared for, forcing Alna and Gared to face the truth lying within their hearts before the jungle destroys them both.