Forced to leave Atty behind under the protection of Alta Novis, Yulen D'Jacques takes his troops to his newly acquired compound of Bearinger to defend it against the increasing attacks by Bloods. But when news arrives that Bearinger's walls were breached, Atty knows she must risk the dangerous trek to find out whether or not her husband is still alive. And if so, to bring him back home, regardless of the consequences.

A life for a life. When one is gone, another is promised to take its place. Unexpected visitors with an invitation to a horse sale and auction from an unknown battle lord piques Yulen D’Jaques’ interest. The opportunity to renew their horses’ bloodlines is too good to pass up, although he knows the trek will be long and dangerous. Yulen worries Atty isn’t yet up to the trip, but she refuses to let him go without her, even if that means leaving the children behind. The decision is a hard one, but they won’t risk Mattox and Mistelle’s lives along with their own. Although Bloods are still a threat, along with any number of other creatures, they plan to make a few stops and hopefully pick up some allies along the way, both Mutah and Normal. The scenes they stumble upon along the way are vicious. Entire settlements have been slaughtered, soldiers mutilated. And just when the group think they’ve made it to the safety of the compound for the sale, they learn that Normals can be more brutal than Bloods. The new battle lord is anti-Mutah, and when his plot to take advantage of his visitors comes to light, Yulen won’t stand for it. Ghosts from Yulen’s past also resurface, bringing a secret to light. Can Yulen and Atty work through it? Will he be able to step up and do what’s right? Of course he will. It’s what a good battle lord would do. And it’s time to teach everyone else that lesson.

After being kidnapped from Earth by aliens and forced into slavery by the Jekmeerans, Zori VanTeagun and her fellow Terrans have a plan to escape and make it back home. Though commandeering a Jek ship seems impossible, it may be their only hope, and they’re not giving up without a fight. Vergil Ond Hees Perd is tasked with leading a troop to conquer a new planet, and if successful, his crew will be there for a while. Needing a companion to keep him fit both physically and mentally, he’s given the opportunity to bind with a female of his choice, and he’s had his eye on one particular redheaded Terran for a while. Being forced to bind with a Jek doesn’t settle well with Zori. She goes along with it (as if she had a choice) to get information for the rebellion, but she’s surprised to find out Ond actually cares for her. He knows she doesn’t feel the same for him but hopes she’ll come to care for him in time. When she learns why the Jeks are doing what they’re doing, Zori is torn. The two come from different worlds, and have differing points of view. Ond sees it as saving his species, Zori sees it as kidnapping and slavery. He can’t blame her for fighting, and she can’t blame him for trying. A rebellion is coming, but which side will they fight for?

The battle lord and lady of Alta Novis are still recovering from disease and loss, but things are slowly getting back to normal. Of course, things can’t be that easy. There’s a new enemy in town, of the eight-legged variety—an infestation of them. The species is a new one, and it's unknown how dangerous they are, but Yulen isn’t going to take any risks to find out. With a plan in motion, Yulen and a small army of men set out to track down the giant creatures, finding their nest in a cave. He and his crew waste no time going in to burn out the egg sacs, but when Yulen emerges from the flaming caverns, he finds himself…in the past? At least, he believes so when he sees the figure of a long-dead adversary. Somehow, a twist of fate has switched Yulen with a different version of himself. With the monsterous Yulen. The way he was before Atty. Before love. Before his acceptance of the Mutah. Realizing the other D’Jacques could be with his Atty, the reformed Yulen is seeing what his life would be like if she'd never come along. Now he must figure out how to get back to his own present. But before he does, he knows he has to bring this alternate timeline back up to speed with his own thriving world. Parallel lives, parallel realities, but totally different people and circumstances. Sometimes you learn a lot about yourself from experiences that you never knew possible, and it alters the course of your future for the better.

When a caravan of gypsies arrives at Alta Novis, looking to make a deal, these new visitors raise suspicions. It isn’t until the battle lord sees what they have for sell that his concerns and reservations are raised even more—a cannon, guns, and other weapons that haven’t been seen in hundreds of years, and only heard about in stories these days. The group isn’t happy when Yulen denies their requests, confiscates their weapons, and sends them on their way, but not before loading their wagons with supplies in a show of good will. But it isn’t enough for the gypsy leader. When one of their own goes missing, Yulen and Atty will stop at nothing to get the battle prince back, but at what cost? Do their swords and arrows stand a chance against guns? A number of obstacles stand in their way as they go to retrieve their son, but the connection between a Mutah mother and her child will conquer all.

Things seem to have settled down among the people of Alta Novis. Normals and Mutah are working together, and families are thriving. The compound is filled to capacity and brimming with new life, but their good fortune can only last for so long. Winter is setting in, and the surrounding countryside is being plagued by unexpected swarms of wild animals. In addition, a horde of rats is contaminating the food supplies and destroying goods, but why? Where are all these creatures coming from? And why is it happening now? It all seems to point to one man – a sorcer who shows up at the compound and demands obedience, or else he'll bring down a devastating curse upon them all. A curse that threatens to take away all Yulen D’Jacques holds dear. The Battle Lord finds himself at odds between fact and fiction, but he’ll stop at nothing to save his family, as well as his dynasty. But sometimes the real enemy can’t be seen, making it an almost impossible battle to fight, much less win.

The last time Yulen spoke to her, Atty was heading east, along with Fortune Kalich and several other hunters. With the latest onslaught of Bloods gone, so was the game, until there was little left to hunt to feed the growing population of Alta Novis. Since very few hunters went east, they figured it might yield good results. She planned to be gone four or five days at the most, a week tops, and promised to return with good news. That was, until Fortune returned without Atty. Worried and frightened, the Battle Lord, along with a handful of volunteers, go in search of the Battle Lady. They pray they'll find her alive. Either way, they are determined not to return to the compound without knowing the truth. What they discover will change their world forever.