Briar has spent the past seven years searching the earth for his one true love. Frustrated, he abandons his quest and makes a political match. Only then does he discover his true love in the form of Rhiannon--his new wife's brother. Just as life is looking up for Briar, his world is turned on end when he learns that his new love is none other than a Stregha, a nonhuman creature whose presence in Pavia threatens to tear apart the realm--and his heart.