by J.R. Ward
Part of Black Dagger Brotherhood, book 9
First published 2011
Payne has spent eons locked away by the Scribe Virgin, her own mother. The vampire warrior finally breaks free from her prison, but freedom comes at a brutal cost when she suffers a catastrophic injury. The Black Dagger Brotherhood calls in Manuel Manello, a human surgeon with the skills to save her life. Manello enters the vampire world knowing the risks, but nothing prepares him for Payne herself. She carries the same dark intensity as her twin brother Vishous, wrapped in lethal beauty and centuries of rage. As Manello works to heal her broken body, an electric attraction ignites between them. Their connection defies every law of their separate worlds. He is mortal, bound by human limitations. She is immortal, shaped by vampire blood and warrior instincts. The Brotherhood watches warily as two incompatible species discover a bond that threatens to reshape everything they know about love and loyalty.
Genres: romance, fantasy, adult-fiction, paranormal-romance
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-love
Setting: Brotherhood
Period: eons
512 pages · Hardcover · NAL
Content warnings: violence