Blood and books and swords and flamethrowers. And one librarian in over her head.

How did I get here: covered in blood and holding a sword I can’t use?

It all started when the dark and mysterious stranger (he wasn’t that tall) showed up at my children’s reading hour. Of course I noticed him. I’d been single (and bored) for longer than I care to admit. Me, I’m Anushka (Noosh) Rosetti, head librarian.

He turned out to be a vampire. And not just any vampire: Vlad Dracula. Although he goes by another name, these days, and he says he’s changed his violent ways. He definitely seemed more of a lover than a fighter. At first.

In a whirlwind of passion, I made a crucial but impulsive decision: share blood with him a third time, and give up normal human society forever, making my life among the “am’r”—that’s what the vampires call themselves.

The whirlwind just keeps spinning faster. Before I know it, I’m at an am’r summit meeting—and then, abducted by Vlad’s oldest enemy, who’s hoping to use me to undo all of my new family’s plans to save am’r society from tearing itself apart.

I thought I was just going to archive some ancient books, but now somehow I have to keep myself from being used as a pawn by the craziest bad guy ever, escape back to the good guys (and I’m not sure how “good” they really are) across a desert (I don’t even know what country I’m in!) and not be killed in the process. I don’t know how I will survive the next five minutes, never mind save my beloved’s life, too....