S'Avetina is a young priestess of the Lord of Night. Although she is a mage, she has failed to bond to a dragon, leading her family to fear that too much out-crossing has weakened their Loftoni blood. Ave is under immense pressure to marry another Loftoni and soon. Then she meets S'Rak, a young priest, just off the line, and a dragon-bonded Loftoni. To her immense surprise, her family is dead-set against the match due to Rak's past. But in Okyro, women do the courting, and women make the choices. Will Ave choose to continue her hunt, or will she yield to family pressure and let the young priest go?