He loves her but can't convince her... Rafe Andrew Edward Astley, Twelfth Earl of Devon, toils beneath an ancient curse as a vampire. He has made peace with that side of him long ago, except if he cannot banish his beast, he'll never win the one woman he can never forget, the woman he fell for years ago when he stole that which he hadn't a right. Yet this Christmastide season holds promise. She fears his beast but wants the man... Lady Elizabeth Sinclair, sister to the Duke of Manchester, is content with her life and her charity work, but she longs for something more. Older and wiser since the last time she fell in love, she puts herself on the Marriage Mart, where she tangles with the one man she fears, the man who took her blood and her innocence eleven years before, the man she still craves. But horror of what he is keeps her wary, despite romance in the offing. A sweetly tempestuous love affair that captivates them... Rafe and Elizabeth conduct a clandestine courtship, despite the pitfalls facing them. Caught up in the thrill, understanding and compassion are the key to unlocking the fear she clings to as well as the depression he battles, but when the time to break the curse arrives, everything goes awry. Unexpected danger stalks them, and it doesn't stem from a creature of the night. Only the ultimate sacrifice can see them through the darkness to grasp their own fairytale ending.