Tasked as the hunter for her people, the heroine possesses the much coveted ability to not only hear the taint of unnatural magic but the strength to destroy the infected party. A true warrior devoted to her work, she is none the less rather disenchanted with her peoples caveman ways of treating the woman. Even though she is the hunter, the one with the magic and the one sent out to kill the demons who turns innocent people into monsters- she is still treated like a possession. She has little to no rights in regards to the good of her people and once she loses her efficiently with hunting she'll be sold off to a husband as a breeding mare. She disgusted with the idea that any man should think to possess her-to own her. But then she meets the hero. Following the disturbed magical trail that is both tainted and yet so absolutely stunning, she finds the male in pain- battling the overflow of unnatural magic in his body. She knows she must kill him before her turns but something stops her. When he proclaims her to be his mate before collapsing unconscious, she takes him back to her house- chains him up. When he awakens he has no memory of how her got to her small town but he very much remembers the tether that has formed between them-signing the fact that she is his mate. The hero is instantly enchanted by this warrior woman who holds him captive. The fact that she is his makes his heart leap with joy. But their bond is very much strained by the factors adding up preventing their relationship. Starting with his memory lapse and periods of violent and savage pain where he acts more animal than man. The heroine is disturbed by these episodes because it shows her how much the unnatural magic within him is slowly killing him. As well as showing her feelings for the vampire as she can not bring herself to kill him as is her job. Secondly, the fact that both of them are essentially bound to other people. The hero is still locked into the agreement with the dhampire queen and the heroine is betrothed to the leaders son. Despite this and many more problems standing in their ways, the hero was resilient in his refusal to give up on having his woman. It was very sweet and loving and more than once he was the one standing strong when the heroine began to doubt the likelihood that they would make it. I enjoyed this story because of the Romeo and Juliet theme with a twist. I loved the heroine who is a total badass and just as possessive and protective of her man as her man is of her. After she gives in and accepts the fact that they are mates, the heroine is willing to battle her people and threaten anyone who thinks to hurt or kill the hero. She actively searches for a way to heal him and is far from the fragile heroine who needs a man to protect her. Regardless of this fact the hero was extremely protective of his woman and had to teach her that even though he claims her as his, the fact of the matter is, he would never take away what makes her her. That loving someone isn't a weakness but a strength. I thought it was an okay book, nothing special or particularly exciting about it but regardless I did enjoy reading it. ( )