Shadow of Life is the first in a sweeping saga of an ancient vampire's struggle to retain her humanity. The daughter of an Akkadian king, Nadira was betrayed by her father, resulting in her brutal transformation into a vampire. She found a mentor in Amon, and their immediate and intense connection inspired him to make her his adopted daughter . . . and the future queen of the vampires. Captured during the crusades, she fell in love with Cristo, a conquistador, but her happiness was short-lived when his murder hurled her into madness, saturating the next centuries with blood.