Jess Taylor has been selected. Chosen by the annual lottery as a sacrifice to the aliens that saved mankind from the Great Plague, he could care less what happens to him. Little does he know that his first alien master doesn't provide much and has a gambling problem to boot. When the debt gets too high, he's sold to another who might provide all he needs and so much more. Noss, the first spawn of Prince Kranok, is duty bound to take care of his family. Unfortunately for him, no one wants to marry him because of his father's scandal. Noss doesn't expect much when he buys the human, but he gets more than a handful. Passion spirals quickly into something more meaningful, and they'll have to decide if being bound by duty can make them happy in a world where changing the rules might mean the destruction of the house that Noss is trying so hard to keep together.