A deadly stiletto rips through the Venetian night, and Lady Sabrina Barclay is saved from certain death by a mysterious Shadowman. Her secret errand, forced on her by her devious and tyrannical uncle-in-law, is thwarted, and she is fearful he will withdraw his support of her and her young son. But who would want her dead? And who—or what—is the creature who saved her? Alessandro, Prince of Auriano, is cursed, forced to live half of every month as Shadow, losing all sense of touch. When he saves the Englishwoman from an assassin’s blade, he is captivated by her beauty and shocked at his ability to feel her. Could she be the key to unlocking the curse that binds him and his family? When Sabrina meets Alessandro in his human form, she is drawn to his dark and seductive charm. She has no idea he is her shadowy savior. Alessandro has never met a woman like Sabrina. He senses the inner strength of the ravishing Englishwoman, and something else—power that could deliver him from damnation. The thread of fate binds them together as they race to outwit the evil that stalks them and surrender to the passion that neither can deny.