There are more than a thousand ways to kill someone, & Hali knows them all Bound to the all powerful Assassins' Guild, Hali is ready to buy out her contract. But first she has one last job to do, and she doesn't need a sexy vampire getting in the way Mike wants nothing more than to quit his job & escape to Concordia University & be a simple historian. Unfortunately it isn't that easy since Mike was born into his job. He is Emperor Darius Michael Roald Barantas IV, Kith of Samsula, Prior of the Universal Tree, Lord Head of House Barantas, Ruler of a Hundred Worlds, & Emperor of all Proxima, a weighty title & one not lightly cast aside, unless, of course, he dies. Julian, Lord Desmond of the Proxima Empire, lives with secrets that could get him killed. Mike is one of the few people who can call this vampire a friend, but how far will friendship go when an empire is at stake & a fist-full of heirs are fighting over the title? Electing a new emperor is a serious business, a time of diplomatic maneuvering & treachery. Some will rise, others will fall, but while the final decision is being made, no one dares to stay away even though being there could cost them their lives. So many heirs to the empire Which one is Hali supposed to kill? "Romance and Adventure - This is the best kind of Space Opera." "Here is another excellent read from JM BOLTON, winner of the 2011 Royal Palm Literary Award." "Adventure and a love story too You won't be disappointed " Readers' Review