For eons they have whispered and tempted, lured mortals into their realm to ensnare the senses in a whirl of hedonism, decadence and excess. Beauty incarnate, ruse in suits of flesh. Achingly beautiful. Deadly. Echion and his brethren have lain forgotten for millennia, deep beneath our world in their home of stone and crystal. Sleeping. Waiting. Until Audrey, a modern-day woman, stumbles into their midst, awakens their raging lust, which they must satiate in her flesh. Cynical and coldhearted, Echion has no qualms sharing their new mortal plaything, bringing her to new heights of pleasure, taking her on a sarabande of carnal abandon. Yet he grows increasingly protective of Audrey. When shielding is no longer enough, when their affection for each other is as dear and vital to him as the air he breathes, Echion discovers Shades are indeed capable of love and he will stop at nothing to protect his beloved. Mortal danger stalks them. Every reflection holds menace. The trap has sprung. The Shades have woken.