An assassin needs anonymity, loose ends tied up. Invisibility is Aldien's hallmark. Svanger slayers have no room for sentiment. Until one woman cracks his icy veneer.

Ace reporter Chaz Halyssion is witness to the assassination of the King of Malthusen. She has it recorded. As one of the few off-worlders there she is under immediate suspicion and on the run. Problem is the real assassin knows she can identify him but he needs her to help him get off-world.

Aldien is the last of the legendary Chameleords. And the best at his job in the galaxy. He never leaves anything to chance. But sometimes meticulous executions go astray in their implementing. And Chaz is his last option for escape. That means she dies once her usefulness is over.

In his darkness Chaz sows a thread of light and hope that Aldien needs to extinguish. With regret. In the end he has to make choices. There are only two options. Kill her, or mind-wipe her and walk away from her forever.