When his betrothal to the eldest MacDonell sister is broken, Nicholas Lyon, earl Kincreag, wants nothing more to do with the MacDonell girls. But their father is a good friend and on his deathbed. When he is offered another daughter, Gillian--who he'd secretly preferred all along-- Nicholas reluctantly accepts. He's not particularly interested in remarrying after his disastrous first marriage, preferring to live as a recluse in his mountaintop castle, but as he has no heirs, he knows it's a necessary evil.

Gillian is the only non-witch in a family that values their magical tradition. She's always felt lacking because of it and worked very hard to find the magic within herself, but to no avail. When her father pairs her with the darkly handsome and brooding earl of Kincreag-her sister's cast off and rumored to have murdered his wife-she tries to make the best of it, even when he forbids her to even speak of witchcraft.

But all is not as it seems at Kincreag Castle. From Gillian's first moment inside the dark fortress, she is filled with foreboding, as if something horrible took place between the walls. She hears strange voices and sees specters out of the corners of her eyes. And when attempts are made on her life, she fears there may be more to the rumors of her devil earl than she'd ever wanted to believe...