POWER HAS A PRICE. SO DOES LOVE. Return to the dark, sensual, and powerful world of the Black Jewels in this long-awaited new story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga. After a youthful mistake, Lord Dillon's reputation is in tatters, leaving him vulnerable to aristo girls looking for a bit of fun. To restore his reputation and honor, he needs a handfast--a one-year contract of marriage. He sets his sights on Jillian, a young Eyrien witch from Ebon Rih, who he believes has only a flimsy connection to the noble society that spurned him. Unfortunately for Dillon, he is unaware of Jillian's true connections until he finds himself facing Lucivar Yaslana, the volatile Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih. Meanwhile, Surreal SaDiablo's marriage is crumbling. Daemon Sadi, the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, recognizes there is something wrong between him and Surreal, but he doesn't realize that his attempt to suppress his own nature in order to spare his wife is causing his mind to splinter. To save Daemon, and the Realm of Kaeleer if he breaks, help must be sought from someone who no longer exists in any of the Realms--the only Queen powerful enough to control Daemon Sadi. The Queen known as Witch. As Jillian rides the winds of first love with Dillon, Daemon and Surreal struggle to survive the wounds of a marriage turned stormy--and Lucivar has to find a way to keep everyone in his family safe...even from each other. "Lavishly sensual...a richly detailed world based on a reversal of standard genre cliches."-- Library Journal on Daughter of the Blood "The Black Jewels novels are seductive--once you start, you just cannot stop reading."--Romance Reviews Today "Rich and fascinatingly different dark fantasy."-- Locus on Heir to the Shadows "Vividly painted . . . dramatic, erotic, hope-filled."--Lynn Flewelling on Daughter of the Blood "A storyteller of stunning intensity, Ms. Bishop has a knack for appealing but complex characterization realized in a richly drawn, imaginative ambience."--Romantic Times "Surges with spellcraft and engaging romance."-- Publishers Weekly on The Shadow Queen "Vivid and sympathetic characters, a fascinating and fully realized magical system, lavish and sensuous descriptions, and interesting world building . . . many compelling and beautifully realized elements. A terrific read."--SF Site on Heir to the Shadows "Intense . . . erotic, violent, and imaginative."--Nancy Kress on Daughter of the Blood "Daemon, Lucivar, and Saetan ooze more sex appeal than any three fictional characters created in a very long time."--The Romance Reader on Heir to the Shadows New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop is a winner of the William L. Crawford Memorial Fantasy Award, presented by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, for The Black Jewels Trilogy . She is also the author of the Ephemera series, the Tir Alainn trilogy, the Novels of the Others, and the World of the Others novels--including Wild Country and Lake Silence . She lives in upstate New York. One Facing the freestanding mirror in her bedroom, Jillian used Craft to secure the pendant that held her Purple Dusk Jewel to her green tunic so that it wouldn't swing when she moved or flew. Then she spread her dark, membranous wings to their full length before closing them in a relaxed position. Was she plain? Was she pretty? Until that brief touch of Tamnar's lips against hers, Jillian hadn't considered the question at all, let alone wondered whether such a thing was important. She was Eyrien, one of the long-lived races, and she was strong. That had been important to her for a very long time. Now being strong didn't give her the same satisfaction, and she wasn't sure why. She turned to the side and studied her shape in the mirror. Her breasts had been developing for the past few years, and she had noticeable breasts now and had to wear undergarments that kept the bounce to a minimum, especially when she was training with Eyrien weapons. But . . . Did this tunic make her look fat? Was it the wrong color green for someone who had brown skin and gold eyes? Nurian had said that shade of green was a good color on her, but her elder sister, who was an excellent Healer, wasn't necessarily the best judge of clothing. There had been too many years before they had come to live in Ebon Rih when any clothing that covered the body and wasn't worn to rags was good, regardless of color or style. Then again, there weren't that many styles that suited a winged race. Combing out her long, straight black hair, Jillian swiftly worked the hair into a multistranded braid that began high on the back of her head and ended at the base of her neck, leaving the rest of the hair to flow down her back in a loose tail. After securing the braided hair with a decorative clasp, she studied herself in the mirror again and wondered whether a man would find the hairstyle attractive. Since there was a man