When Anita Blake takes a trip with Jason, a young werewolf who is her friend and sometimes lover, there are consequences both in Jason's small hometown and in Anita's life with Jean-Claude. As master vampire of the city, Jean-Claude has appearances to maintain, and if his lover has gone off with someone else, the other vampires are led to certain conclusions: maybe Jean-Claude is getting soft. And if Jean-Claude is vulnerable, maybe Anita - who seems to amplify the powers of any man she stays with - might be stolen away from him, by force if necessary.