Carpathians are an immortal race of beings with animal instincts and the ability to shape shift. Every Carpathian male is drawn to a life mate: a woman - Carpathian or human - able to provide the light to his darkness. Without her, the beast within slowly consumes the man until turning into a vampire is the only option. Mikhail Dubrinsky, Prince of the Carpathians, fears he can't protect his people from the extinction of their species - a fate that has become the wicked prayer of his enemies, who plot to slaughter all Carpathian females. Mikhail's lifemate, Raven, and their daughter, Savannah, are both vulnerable to the encroaching evil, but all is not lost. In this desperate season, Carpathian's from around the world are gathering to join their strengths, their souls and their powers. But so too are their adversaries uniting - hunters, vampires, demons and betrayers - bringing untold dangers into the fold of the Carpathian people.