Emily Burke is cursed with the touch of death. Everyone she touches is bound to die. Now her own pack has requested her sacrifice for the safety of the rest of the pack. Yet Emily’s blood has the power to restore life so how can two opposing powers exist in the same woman?
Raphael Robichaux is the Kallan, an immortal Draicon whose responsibility is to help the ailing and/or elderly Draicon cross over from this life into the Other Realm. His latest mission is to end Emily’s life. Yet when he arrives, he is stunned to find Emily is his Draicara, the one true mate for him.
Raphael’s most difficult job is now at hand, how can he protect his mate without endangering everything he stands for? And why is the pack so desperate to end the life of such an innocent young woman with such a rare gift? Emily must put her trust in the man meant to take her life if there is any hope of saving her, fulfilling an ancient prophecy, and destroying a great evil. Only the Immortal Wolf knows if they will succeed.
As always, Bonnie Vanak delivers a dangerously dark, deeply romantic story with Immortal Wolf. We delve even deeper into the Draicon mythology through Raphael and Emily’s story. I was fascinated by the responsibility Raphael has as Kallan. While it causes him to always be on the outside in their society, there is great honor as well. Being called to execute Emily challenges everything he knows about his duty and leaves him floundering for resolution.
Emily is such a gentle soul that her death touch is absolutely horrifying to her. She loves deeply, from her feelings for her family and pack, to the plants and animals in their forest. As such she is deeply pained by her ability, terrified to touch anyone for fear she would kill them. Raphael is immortal and has always been set apart from others, first due to his heritage and later to his duty. He locks his emotions deep inside only allowing his family to see his true depth. Emily and Raphael are different in many ways, but they both have been forced to keep their distance, though for different reasons. When they find each other, they finally have an outlet for all the love hidden within.
I love learning more about the ways of the Draicon through Bonnie’s books and with Immortal Wolf, we venture into new territory with Emily’s pack. They scorn all things modern and prefer to live a simpler life. However, a simple life does not mean freedom from greed and a lust for power, it only means those things can take hold and it is that much longer before secrets are revealed. Let me just say, the secrets this pack is keeping are huge and shocking, with serious repercussions that could bring down their kind if they are not exposed. I also loved learning more about the responsibility Raphael has as Kallan and learning that his job as a bringer of death involves so much more.
Bonnie Vanak improves with every book in her Draicon series and I look forward to even more adventures about these magical shape shifters we love.
© Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2009. All rights reserved.