Is the Heat a deadly fever...or a fiery desire that could save them both? Deirdre Graves got lucky. When the Heat, a djinn-created virus, wiped out most of humanity, she was isolated at her university's wildlife research station high in the mountains. Safe...for the moment. But with winter closing in and her choices narrowing down to freezing or starving, she builds a device that could save her life. Trouble is, the only way to find out if it works is to leave her sanctuary and face the djinn. One moment, Amaal al-Tariq is exploring his newly acquired mountain lands - or, more accurately, his place of exile. The next, he's flat on his face, trapped by one delicate human woman carrying a device capable of rendering him helpless. Regaining what is most precious to him - his freedom - means gaining Deirdre's trust. If that means using the attraction simmering between them to his advantage, so be it. He just never expected her courage and compassion to reach the one thing he's kept to himself for so long...his heart.