When Ashley’s first boyfriend found out she was a vampire, he tried to kill her. Since then, she’s avoided relationships. Now Victor, the most powerful vampire in Chicago, has decided to claim Ashley as his mate, and he won’t take no for an answer. Between fending off Victor’s advances, waiting tables at an all-night diner and keeping her refrigerator stocked with blood, she's about to implode from sheer stress. Then she accepts a job from the CPRI (Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation) and finds herself partnered with Will Connor, a young telepath. Ashley is immediately attracted to Will, but tells herself that she won’t let this become more than friendship. Loving humans is too dangerous. But as they work together to track down a psychic serial killer, her resolve weakens. Will makes her feel like a normal person, not a monster. Behind his blue eyes lies a pain as deep as her own, and an understanding of what it’s like to grow up different from everyone else. He also has the tastiest looking neck she’s ever seen. When Victor finds out Ashley’s been sleeping with a human, he challenges Will to a duel…to the death. Ashley knows there’s no way Will can win against such a powerful vampire. Will is doomed—unless Ashley can kill Victor first.