Who ever heard of a fairy princess with no magic? Well, that happens to be my fate. I am Alira Shiningstar of the Royal house of the Seelie Court. I am descended from a long line of powerful Fae, and yet I have no power of my own.

I might be forgiven for having no magic, but I have no beauty, either. I am curvy where I should be thin and my hair is dark instead of blonde. I do not look like the other Fae maidens...so why is it that Liath Blackthorn, the Prince of our sworn enemy, the Unseelie Court, wishes to marry me?

Liath doesn't look like a proper Fae either—he is tall and beastly with curving horns and blazing bronze eyes. He tells me that I do have magic—that it is buried inside me. And only he can bring it out.

But the things he wants to do to unlock my hidden power leave me hot and trembling. Surely it isn't right to do such things, even with one's husband...is it? I don't know if it is or not—I only know that the touch of my new husband's hands on my body makes me quiver with need. And inside me I feel a force growing...a shadow that is bigger than both of us.