Provincial and naive -- and the most powerful mage in the realm --young Dion is an innocent adrift in a world of intrigues and treacheries, with foul, hungry demons lurking just beyond its borders. And now she has been called upon to serve her Duke's favorite mistress: the extraordinary Kitten Avignon, Our Lady of Roses. For the mesmerizing courtesan is a woman in dire jeopardy, stalked by a fearsome necromancer who will not sleep until his beautiful prey suffers horribly and is destroyed. And with Evil's night approaching, shielding the Lady and herself from harm will require every ounce of a power Dion is only beginning to recognize and fear -- a great gift suddenly imperiled by blossoming womanhood...and dangerous desire.