How can love survive amid vengeance and secrets?
Ceras has spent the last five years plotting his escape from the Grotto, a mountaintop prison run by the sadistic Lord Tyre. Kept for his skills as a gem cutter--and a mage--Ceras's enchanted jewels are in high demand by the nobility. And even more so by Lord Tyre, who seeks to bring all those with such talents under his control. Ceras cannot work his escape plan alone. He needs someone strong and skilled enough to help him--and more importantly, someone he can trust. Unfortunately, trust is in short supply in the Grotto. Until Ceras sees the fierce, grey-eyed warrior who's dumped into the pit. The man ignites feelings in Ceras he thought had been snuffed out long ago by the Grotto. But suddenly, Ceras's desire for escape becomes secondary to his desire for the new man, the big ex-bodyguard, Ralven.
Charged with a murder he didn't commit, Ralven is sentenced to life in Tyre's mountaintop prison. As a noble bodyguard, Ralven had spent his life protecting his lord. And now, falsely accused of his murder, Ralven has vowed to avenge his death. His only clue: Lord Tyre's seal on a box containing an onyx choker, which was found around his lord's neck. Getting into the Grotto is exactly what he wants--to bring him close to Lord Tyre so he can exact his revenge. But first he must survive Tyre's brutal prison melees, and he can't do that without Ceras's help. Despite his desire for vengeance, he can't ignore the powerful desire he feels for the jewel smith. Until he learns a powerful secret that might tear them apart--that the mage who crafted the deadly onyx is none other than Ceras himself...
