The King of the Pict has entered into an agreement with Cathbad, Overlord of the Western Region to wed his daughter Anin. Blyth, Anin’s mother, has given her husband four fine sons and King Talon hopes Anin will do the same for him. Unfortunately, Anin’s mother wants no part of the agreement. She intends for her daughter to pick a husband of her own choosing as the women of her tribe do. She sends Anin away and no amount of threats or persuasion will make Blyth confess her daughter’s whereabouts and so King Talon sends the one man he knows who can force the woman to speak and to bring Anin to him—his executioner. Paine is feared by all, and rightfully so. He has the power to bring great suffering and with one swing of his double-sided axe a swift death. He has been sent to collect the future Queen and deliver her to King Talon. An easy mission and one he wants to see finished quickly, but from the moment he meets Anin he knows that will prove a challenge. Anin has no choice but to go with the executioner and wed the High King, though she would prefer not to, especially after she meets the executioner. He brings things alive in her that she has been forced to keep hidden and as her secrets begin to surface so do her feelings for the executioner. The couple faces insurmountable challenges on their journey to Pictland and even more when they finally stand before the King.

A fierce Pict warrior. A woman with too many secrets. A love that cannot be denied. Wrath is the leader of the King’s personal guard, honor-bound to protect the King before all else. He is a man not known for his kindness or patience, so when Wrath is made responsible for a woman he discovers in a snowdrift, he does not know what to do with her. Verity wakes besides the mighty Wrath shocked to see him. Though she knows him, she has never met him. How to explain that to him is the problem as are the secrets she must keep, for now. With secrets swirling as heavily as the snow, it takes a perilous journey in search of Verity’s sister for the unlikely couple to reveal truths and discover that their hearts were lost to each other long before they met.

A King. A Queen. An unforgettable love. Talon is King of the Picts, forefathers of the Highlanders, a fierce warrior, and he needs to find a queen. He need not care for this woman and it would be preferable if he didn’t. She need only bear him an heir thereby securing his reign. With his enemies mounting, war looming, and unrest among his people, he needs no distractions. Hemera does not mean to vex King Talon at every turn or to test his temper and patience. She is grateful that he took her and her sister in when they escaped the Northmen. She does her best not to annoy the King, a difficult, if not impossible task. Then he kisses her and changes everything. With enemies at the stronghold gates, traitors within, and secrets yet to be revealed, King Talon and Hemera face insurmountable obstacles that only true love can conquer.