Sage Aieto has lived in the guild's City of Towers since she fled her home in the Queen's Forest as a teenager. Due to her Half-Elf heritage she is considered somewhat of a curiosity by the human population of the city and is treated as a respected, but excluded, outsider. Following the violent death of her young apprentice, Sage accepts a field assignment on the borders of Human and Elf territories. Lonesome, she ventures out to a crossroads tavern and accidentally attracts the attention of a formidable male Lipitoare, a race of savage blood-drinkers. While widely known to be dangerous and unpredictable, Sage finds herself unable to resist his raw appeal. Unfortunately, she also attracts the attention of the Elvish military who has been searching for her since her desertion. After an encounter with a border patrol, the Lipitoare finds Sage unconscious on the roadside and carries her home to his bed. As his kindness becomes the least surprising thing about him, Sage's lonesome heart could well be on the mend - provided the dangerous rumors about his people prove false.