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.