Bound through time to protect the key to magic, Nic and Cass discover that true power lies in the magic of love. Vicky Burkholder weaves an enticing tale of passion and suspense in The Emerald Key, book one of her exciting new series, Crystal Keys. For centuries, four women have held the keys to Lemuria, a land where magic is real. They and their Protectors are all that stand against The Brotherhood, a group of exiles who want to return to and control both Lemuria and the gateway. Cassandra Richards, Keeper of the emerald key, has grown up knowing about her powers but not about the amulet she wears or why it is suddenly so important. Stalked, kidnapped, and threatened with a horrible death, she must turn to the one man who scares her more than the Brotherhood. They'll just take her body. Nicodemus will take her soul. Nic wants nothing more than to protect Cass, but he can't do that if she won't let him. Nor can he deny the pull she has over him, but he's not sure if he's under a witch's spell, or something deeper. Both Nic and Cass struggle to deal with their powers and their attraction while on the run from a cult with murderous intent.