She senses the vamp's an Old One, an ancient being from the dawn of time. She needs to take him in and turn him over to those up the food chain as quickly as possible, because letting a vamp come too close will drain Mariah of her powers and render her helpless against the death-magic creatures it's her job to pursue.
Cai, who's been in dark sleep since his enemies buried him a few centuries ago, emerges into a brand new world. His rescuer is a beautiful human woman who becomes his only link to understanding this city of metal and concrete, with its rules to keep vampires in check. No more hunting vamps to the death—now vampires are regulated, restricted, all but muzzled.
Mariah understands his distance from the world, because she experiences the same disconnection. Cai hopes to make her his own, but he soon learns that touching her will hurt her more than he can stand. Cai has already lost everyone dear to him and refuses to lose her as well. But when danger comes, the only choices he can make are heartbreaking ones.