Lori Herter

Archeology professor Annie Carmichael encountered Rafael de la Vega while excavating an Anasazi ruin in Arizona. A Spanish conquistador in 1540, Rafael died and rose as a vampire due to a gypsy curse. Though enthralled with Rafael, she finds living with a shapeshifting vampire who thrives on blood is a huge adjustment. When a competitive professor, Frank Florescu, discovers that her handsome and mysterious lover is one of the undead, he threatens to expose Annie and ruin her career.

Knowing he's damaged the lives of women in his past, Rafael fears that Annie would be better off without him. Or, for Annie's sake, should Rafael risk undergoing a secret arcane ritual to regain his mortality, a risk he might not survive?