Xavier Brice is a feared man. The king's own executioner and most loyal servant. Io Desmond is a nobody who has stayed alive being independent and self reliant. She is loyal only to her own needs. When the king brings these two people together, wills clash and hearts pound. Xavier must first show Io that trust is possible before his demands for obedience can be met. Io must trust that obedience does not mean subjugation. Together they will give and take in the name of pleasure, pain and love.

United by a royal contract, Io Desmond has found pleasure and pain under Xavier’s firm and steady hand. But trust is not something Io affords to anyone, and without it she cannot receive the full measure of what Xavier will give her. Bound by love and lust, Xavier Brice would give Io the affection and discipline she requires to feel cared for and safe. But he’s never faced anything like the inner demons holding Io away from the offer of home and stability. If Io’s doubts and fears prove stronger than Xavier’s promise of protection and devotion, the challenge could tear them apart. If Xavier’s promise of commitment and dependability can rise above, then together, through the pleasure and the pain, they will find love.

Can love set things right? The king has reaffirmed Io Brice's marriage to Lord Xavier Brice. As much as Io wills their relationship to be one of want and need rather than command and duty, she is not able to fully trust in her husband's commitment. As Lady Charlotte, Xavier's own mother, continues to push for Io to be put out, someone else is pushing for Io's very end.
Unsure if it is her husband, his mother, or the woman set on replacing her, Io thinks her only chance to stay alive is to run.
But will she leave the dangers in the house only to find worse on the road? And will the memories of everything she left behind even allow her to go on living? Xavier Brice has tried everything to make his wife know how he feels about her. Still he can not convince her it is neither contract nor duty which binds him to her. And with his mother's constant and vile meddling, he knows Io is losing trust in his love for her. To make matters worse, someone has tried to murder Io and he knows she thinks it could be him behind the attempt. When Io runs, Xavier is left with only the hope he will get to her in time to prove he is the one man who will love and protect her. When two people cannot live without each other, separation can feel like death. But when staying together could end their lives for real, will the risk outweigh the reward, or will love end in tragedy? Disclaimer: This book contains the spanking of adult women and explicit sexual scenes. If these offend you, please do not purchase this book.

Loyalties split… Xavier Brice is a man torn between duties, both to his king and to his wife. What he is learning is while his loyalty to the crown allows him to provide a life for his wife, it also puts her in mortal danger. He must make a choice and take a stand, or risk losing the only person in his life who matters. Family alliances… Io knows well enough that family doesn’t mean blood, and titles can be restrictive. But as those who have a claim on her begin to stake it, she must choose who she wants as family and whom she will declare her enemy. Publisher's Note: This steamy medieval romance contains elements of power exchange.