
Part of Series
This novellette follows the variable fortunes of Zarah, a nobleman's daughter who has fallen on hard times. Her father has been executed for apparently embezzling money and her mother is dying of cancer; Zarah is told by Scanlon, head of the city White Flint, that if she agrees to spy on Griffin, head of Sun Acres, her mother will get healing treatment. Zarah's role, in spying on Griffin, will be that of his mistress. She eventually agrees, knowing that her own honor is less important than her mother's life. Zarah's journey to Sun Acres is dangerous but she is helped by Quinn, another of the slaves. When Zarah is chosen by Griffin and taken to his house she begins to question whether she should be spying on him because he seems to be a far more good and honorable man than Scanlon. However when he finds out that she is a spy things look bad for her. Quinn's role in the story becomes more important, and Zarah's magical skills prove to be a great help to Griffin. Not really a part of the Moon series, it does take place in the parallel universe that has appeared twice before...
Author

Ruth Glick (born 1942) is a best-selling author of healthy cookbooks and has also written dozens of romantic suspense romance novels under the pen name Rebecca York. Ruth earned a B.A. in American Thought and Civilization from George Washington University and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Maryland. Although she always wanted to become a writer, Glick was convinced that her lack of spelling skills meant that her goal was unattainable. As a stay-at-home mother, she took a community college course to help her choose a career. The course made it very clear that writing was her primary interest. Glick began writing articles for newspapers and magazines, but after several years decided to try writing fiction. Her first book, a kids' science fiction book, was finally purchased by Scholastic Inc.. Since then, Glick has become a highly successful author of over 50 romantic suspense and paranormal novels. Many of her novels are published under the Harlequin Intrigue line, and in June 2003, she became one of the first authors published under Berkley's new Sensation imprint. Before 1997, she often collaborated with Eileen Buckholtz and Kathryn Jenson. Glick also is a highly regarded author of cookbooks focusing on healthy eating. She sometimes hires trained chefs to test the recipes that she creates, and makes sure that every recipe is tested at least three times before it appears in one of her cookbooks. Glick is the head of the Columbia Writers Workshop. She and her husband, Norman Glick, live in Columbia, Maryland, where Ruth collects rocks, and enjoys cooking, walking, reading, gardening, travel, and Mozart operas. They have two grown children, Elissa and Ethan, and two grandsons (Jesse and Leo).