Andrea Kane

COURTNEY JOHNSTON, the lively daughter of a sea captain, is swept underneath a wave of despair when a pirate forces her father overboard. Taken captive and used in a sinister plot to win an English nobleman's rare black diamond, she now lives to fulfill one burning desire: to avenge her father's death.

SLAYDE HUNTLEY, the earl of Pembourne, will do anything to ransom his missing sister, Aurora, even turn over the priceless gem that has been his family's treasure-and curse-for generations. Lured to the pirate ship, he believes the golden-red haired beauty promised for the stone is his sister, but she is not...she is his destiny.

Even as the diamond brings Courtney and Slayde together, it glitters with a malice and mystery that draws them toward a haunting evil. Soon they fear losing a treasure more precious than any jewel-their chance for a future together!

"Dear God, Slayde," Courtney managed in a choked tone. "You've endured so much-- far more than I." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Yesterday you said you would undo my loss if you could. Well, right now all I wish is that I could undo yours."

The earnest proclamation was the last reaction Slayde had expected, and the most impacting one he'd ever endured. Something profound moved in his chest, soothing his remembered anguish in a rush of warmth. "That's the most selfless offer I've ever received," he heard himself mutter, realizing even as he said it that it was true. "Thank you, sweetheart."

The endearment, uttered in a tender, husky voice, was more intimate than a caress... and just as pivotal,given the heightened emotion spawned by the past few minutes.An invisible barrier was traversed

The world shifted--permanently.