It takes a guardsman with the heart of a lion to love the hunt master and survive the wrath of the duke.
A chance encounter lands young Curran a coveted position as Duke Luthias's personal guard, but his seeming good fortune soon sours as the evil and deception woven into the castle walls takes its toll.
Tanis, the lover the duke makes Curran surrender as part of his oath of loyalty, is the only man he can trust to help him stop the duke's ill-fated campaign to punish the northern marauders. But Tanis has secrets of his own, and as much as he loves Curran, they could lose much more than their lives if he gets involved now.
When the raiders retaliate for the duke's acts of war by laying siege to his castle, all three men are forced to take refuge within the fortified walls. Who lives and who dies will depend on one man having the heart of a lion.