Sappho, scorpion Gladiator, finds himself trapped. Whipped and unmanned, he is held captive by more than iron shackles. His body rages for the lithe, raving beauty, his wicked captor. The scorpion's barb is poised and waiting. It demands its mate. How long can he deny his beast? Damned by his mistakes, his silent tongue guards his secrets fiercely. His past has great power. It will hurt Aleka. Aleka surrenders to no man. But she is bent on taming the savage beast she has captured. This proud warrior will be hers, and though she is a novice to war, she will fight for him. But even as she overcomes the turmoil of her own past, she must help him heal his. Easy. Until she unravels the identity of the woman who first captured Sappho's heart. How can she eradicate someone she knows well, much too well, without losing a part of herself?