For Caelan MacKinnon, only one thing matters-Duty. Duty to king, country, and clan. When he receives word his young nephew is in peril, he prepares to ride to the lad's rescue. Never did Caelan imagine that included escorting a golden-haired lass whose past is shrouded in mystery and fraught with danger. Yet just one taste of her lips and he will do anything to protect her. Ilyssa McCoy's life-long dream was to become a healer. During a visit to court with her aunt and cousin, she encounters a stranger in the king's private library. His arrogance annoys her, but the intensity of his stare leaves her breathless. When long buried secrets from her past threaten to destroy her, she has no choice but to ask for help from the very man who shunned her. Caelan MacKinnon. Before long, Caelan and Ilyssa are bound to each other by her need for his protection and his desire to have her close. But who's going to protect her heart? And his?