Yamina froze as a new wave of terror swept over her. Life had become so dangerous. Caught in Constantinople during the Crimean War, the exquisite young Russian had been forced to seek refuge in a Sultan's harem from a mob that would have torn her apart. And when the harem became too perilous—not to her life but her virtue—Yamina had to flee again. Hidden in the bottom of an Oriental trunk masquerading as a gift from the Sultan, she was carried aboard a ship in the harbor. Yamina felt she was safe at last. Until she heard the voice of the man accepting the Sultan's gift—a man she despised. She would rather be back in the harem—or dead at the bottom of the Bosporus Straits—than be imprisoned aboard ship with such a monster!