Enter the dark and sensual realms of the Black Jewels, a world where power always has a price, in this sweeping story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga.   They are Warlord Princes, men born to serve and protect. They are the Queen's Weapons, men born to destroy the Queen's enemies--no matter what face that enemy wears.   Daemonar Yaslana knows how to be bossy yet supportive--traits he shares with his father, the Demon Prince, and his uncle, the High Lord of Hell. Within his generation of the family, he assumes the role of protector, supporting his sister Titian’s artistic efforts and curbing his cousin Jaenelle Saetien’s more adventurous ideas. But when a young Eyrien Queen, someone Titian thought was a friend, inflicts an emotional wound, Daemonar's counterattack brings him under the tutelage of Witch, the Queen whose continued existence is known only to a select few.   As Daemonar is confronted by troubling changes within and around the family, he sees warnings that a taint in the Blood might be reappearing.  Daemonar, along with his father and uncle, must uncover the source of a familiar evil--and Daemon Sadi, the High Lord of Hell, may be forced into making a terrible choice. "The latest "Black Jewels" novel (after  The Queen's Bargain ) continues to deliver dark fantasy with lush worldbuilding, strong characters, and high-stakes action."— Library Journal Praise for the Black Jewels series "Rich and fascinatingly different dark fantasy."-- Locus "The Black Jewels novels are seductive--once you start, you just cannot stop reading."--Romance Reviews Today "Vividly painted . . . dramatic, erotic, hope-filled."--Lynn Flewelling "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 "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 "Intense . . . erotic, violent, and imaginative."--Nancy Kress "Daemon, Lucivar, and Saetan ooze more sex appeal than any three fictional characters created in a very long time."--The Romance Reader 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 Using Craft, Daemonar Yaslana called in a ball of twine and then considered the puzzle in front of him. After adjusting a couple of pieces for a better fit, he began lashing together the fallen branches he and his cousin had gathered for this harebrained, idiotic, get-their-asses-kicked-for-this idea-an idea that sounded intriguing enough that he might have tried it on his own at another time if he'd been able to talk Jaenelle Saetien out of building a raft today and testing it on the river. It was a warm summer day, and floating on a raft sounded like fun, but there were rapids downriver and a waterfall. Testing himself against those things on a raft made out of branches and twine appealed to him. After all, he was an Eyrien Warlord Prince, and until he was old enough to test his strength and skill by making the Blood Run, this could be considered practice. Right? That almost sounded like a reasonable explanation for doing this. He'd have to remember it if-okay, when-his father found out about this adventure. And he'd have to figure out a suitable reason why he wasn't alone on the raft. Maybe Auntie J. could help with that-if she didn't give him a whack upside the head before his father had a chance to do it. Jaenelle Saetien set the next load of branches beside the ones he'd laid out. Then she sighed. "Why can't we just use Craft to hold the branches together? Tying them is going to take forever." "You afraid we're going to get caught before we get this thing in the water?" he asked, lashing two more branches together. "Maybe." He looked at her. Jaenelle Saetien SaDiablo had the straight black hair and gold eyes of all the long-lived races, but her skin was a lighter, sun-kissed brown and her delicately pointed ears were a sign that some of her bloodline had come from the Dea al Mon, a race of warriors often called the Children of the Wood. She was smart, usually sweet in a feisty kind of way, and she sometimes had more backbone than sense. Then again, so did he or he wouldn't be out here helping her build a raft that most likely would break apart when they hit the rapids and waterfall. "Your father takes calculated risks, not foolish ones," h