For years the Vikings had raided their lands and killed her people. Now the enemy lay in her bed... Rescuing a Viking pirate from the ocean after his ship wrecked on the shores of Pictland was bound to bring Ilisa trouble. After all, she knew well of the savagery of the Vikings—she had experienced it first-hand. But her heart would not allow her to abandon someone in need. Unfortunately, nursing him back to health rouses a part of her she didn't know existed and soon she's the one in need. Alrek's well aware of his own need when he awakens in this beautiful Pict's home. With his plans to venture to new lands on hold, he resolves to thank Ilisa for her help in any way he can—but not in the way he longs to the most. He must prove not all Vikings are the same. But his own savage past threatens to destroy any progress he makes and her people soon make it clear he will never be accepted. Can they bridge the gap between two cultures or will their differences—and the dangers they bring—forever keep them apart?