Laela Redguard was born with the black hair of the Northern kingdom and the blue eyes of the Southern people, forever marking her as a hated half-breed child of both. When her only family tie is severed, the fierce and strong-willed Laela decides to leave her adoptive father�s home in the hopes of finding acceptance in the North, where the ruthless King Arenadd and the dark griffin Skandar rule. While Laela�s Northern features allow her to blend into the crowds of the King�s seat at Malvern, she cannot avoid falling victim to a pair of common thugs. When a stranger saves her life and gives her a place to stay, Laela is shocked to learn he is Arenadd himself�a man said to be a murderer who sold his soul to the Night God�the King without a heart. Arenadd is unsure what compels him to help this girl, but there is something about her that seems familiar, something he cannot remember�something that may rise up to banish the darkness forever�