In a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and the blurred boundaries of life and death, loyalty is tested, alliances are shattered, and the quest for power threatens to unleash unimaginable horrors. One year ago, Jerisse's husband died in the line of duty and his body was donated to science. In this case, it meant that the Kostak Institute would use chemicals to turn him into a vampire to fulfill a government contract for shock troops. She needs to know if the vampire is still her husband, or if he's a mindless revenant. Calling in a few favors, Jerisse gets a job at Kostak. As a former Master Sergeant, she's snapped up to field test the viability of the lab creations. Dodging passes from a foppish secretary who claims to be a "real vampire," Jerisse has to get the next platoon ready to follow orders. But someone wants the vampire project to fail and Jerisse finds her life endangered by sabotage and rebellion. When the resident vampire expert is found staked to death inside his locked office, and her husband is the prime suspect, Jerisse has to clear his name otherwise he'll greet the dawn with a stake in his heart and she'll be a widow . . . again.