How much blood is one man worth? Terrence Mack has succeeded in keeping his freedom, but at what cost? The Vicereine of Florence is dead. The city she ruled has fallen to chaos, under assault by both Twilight Zone agents and a seemingly unstoppable dragon determined to claim the template's power for herself. In shouldering responsibility for the crisis, Terry has taken it upon himself to break the siege or die trying. With the help of his friends and the women he loves he may just have what it takes to hold the darkness—and the obsessed—at bay. Yet the power of a template is poorly understood and for some, it comes at a terrible price. As Terry forges ahead, dire consequences force him to question the value of one man's life, weighed against the havoc wrought for his sake. Moving from one costly battle to the next, he is left struggling not just to save the lives of the innocent, but his own immortal soul. Warning: This book does not pan to waving curtains and fade to black. Those uninterested or under the age of eighteen are strongly warned of explicit content.