Fledgling vampire Prudence Hightower longs for love. Not the tainted love of the vampire Nicolae but that of a mortal man - the pirate Stede Bonham. But Stede's happy-go-lucky nature hides a secret that can destroy her faith in love as surely as Nicolae destroyed her mortality. As the French tricolor is lowered in New Orleans with the American purchase, and old-world Creoles clash with arrogant Americans, the key to reclaiming Pru's lost soul lies with an ancient witch inhabiting the body of a powerful voodoo queen. Can she trick the witch into chanting the spell that will restore her mortal soul? Will a voodoo love potion win Stede's love? From the muddy streets of New Orleans to the steamy bayous throbbing with voodoo drums to the pirate stronghold of Barataria Pru follows a tempestuous path into the heart of darkness and into the arms of the vampire who will never let her go.