Russell Leonard is a centuries-old Guardian who's lost faith in his purpose. So when he's charged with procuring the first female Guardian in over two centuries, he can only hope it's the red-headed beauty who's been haunting his dreams for months. And if it is, he intends to claim her as his. But when he finds his dream woman, Annabelle is mute and bears no Guardian's Mark. He soon realizes she's been tainted by an ancient evil. Russell must somehow release the secrets trapped within this delicate, mute beauty, to help her tap into the only weapon powerful enough to silence a millennia-old demon-her voice.