He had been in hiding for years, but the sight of Dulcie Samples, with her girl-next-door appeal, was enough to finally draw Prince Valbrand into the light. Yet Valbrand, whose face—not to mention spirit—had taken a serious hit from the assassination attempt that had driven him underground, was sworn to spend all the rest of his days hunting down the enemies who had done this to him. And even if he had the time for love, who could see past his scarred face to the man inside? Certainly not the beautiful Dulcie .Or so Valbrand thought. But despite the darkness and mystery that surrounded him, Dulcie knew that the half-masked man before her was her destiny. Now, if only she could convince him that she held both the key to his heart and his kingdom in her trembling hands .