The failure to retrieve Mari from Springfield having left Garlin a prisoner, Troy now knows she feels her destiny lies with Christoph, as his foreshadower, but has also become his lover. Hoping she may not have given up on them, even so, he can sense the presence of her mind as she often watches him holed up in her old house. He won't leave for fear of missing these visits, does nothing but sculpt marble effigies of her day and night at hyperspeed. Succumbing to dream deprivation madness, he's also beginning to desiccate, barely feeding on packaged blood. Calling on Caron one night to come to his aide, Troy can't hide his true nature and they come to an arrangement for ongoing feedings. Only after circumstances require him to feed her does he realize she's pregnant. So shocked by what he's done, he reveals she now carries a sleeper. With David still under Mari's captivation and mourning her death, their marriage is failing and Troy finds himself increasingly drawn to taking care of both mother and child. But the surprising discovery of his future progeny's heritage isn't as great as finding that his blood has awakened something even rarer in Caron. The war between the Colonies heating up, Mari's foreshadowing abilities start really being put to the test, even with Garlin now cooperating with his knowledge of Joplin. But as preparations get underway for the assault, seizing the Ouachita enclave is no longer her biggest worry. When her visions unexpectedly throw her to Italy, Mari discovers Christoph's plans to sever ties to their chieftain in Kansas City, in fact, means going renegade from the clan's true monarch, a major power in the vampire world. And worse still, trying to stay a step ahead of his legendary foreshadower. Her personal life presents no fewer challenges. Securing her hand, Christoph begins to allow Troy weekly visits, but every time he arrives, Mari finds him more caught up in an extraordinary life he's creating on the outside with Caron.
