At just over 1,000 years old, Ellet has seen a lot in his lifetime. He’s fought—and died—in battles, lost a wife and child, and drunk the blood of hundreds of thousands of people. Throughout this time, he’s been bound to Embla, the vampire who turned him after he was killed in battle. Embla is a cruel and temperamental lover, prone to fits of jealousy and rage; she’s been asleep for 800 years, leaving Ellet to fend for himself. In her absence, Ellet has grown stronger, yet he still misses her embrace. (“I loved her more than I should have, considering all she did to me. I haven’t felt anything close to that since I departed from her company.”) That all changes when he meets Naia, a Merrow (or mermaid) he encounters in Pensacola, Florida. Both Ellet and Naia are immortal creatures who feed off human beings—he drinks their victims’ blood, and Naia consumes everything else. This arrangement makes them the perfect match, so when Ellet decides to leave Pensacola amid rising suspicions, Naia accompanies him on his journey. Over several days of traveling, the pair grow even closer, but it’s not long before Embla wakes and tracks Ellet down. Most of the novel deftly alternates between two timelines, both from Ellet’s perspective (save for one seemingly out-of-place chapter narrated by a peripheral character): The chapters beginning in the year 839 reveal Ellet’s past and provide context for his relationship with Embla; those set in 1860 trace his growing resentment toward her and the bond that develops naturally between him and Naia. Many of the story’s conflicts lack suspense due to Ellet’s overwhelming power, but the engaging plot, while repetitive at times, remains well paced. In the end, everything comes together in a generally satisfying conclusion, but readers seeking a steamy vampire romance may be left wanting more.