From nationally acclaimed bestselling author Laura Kinsale comes a boldly original, breathlessly unforgettable tale of honour, adventure and undying love. The Shadow is wealthy, powerful and majestically handsome, he is a man of dark secrets – a master of the ancient martial arts of an exotic distant land. Scarred by a childhood of shocking degradation, he has sworn to love chastely … but burns with the fires of unfulfilled passion. The Star is lovely, innocent and nearly destitute, and drawn to him by a fevered yearning she could never deny – following her enigmatic ′shadow warrior′ into a dangerous world of desire and righteous retribution.