Heroes Return — Moira J. Moore

In a realm beset by natural disasters, only the magical abilities of the bonded Pairs -- Source and Shield -- make the land habitable and keep the citizenry safe. The ties that bind them are far beyond the relationships between lovers or kin -- and last their entire lives. Whether they like it or not...

The Emperor has personally selected Shield Lee Mallorough and Source Shintaro Karish to protect the duchy of Westsea -- Taro's ancestral lands. Having abjured his title, Taro has no desire to return home, but what the Emperor commands, a Shield and Source must obey.

Westsea is suffering from deadly earthquakes -- earthquakes that aren't dispelled by Lee and Taro's magic as easily as they should be. But even as Lee tries to discover why this land resists their protection, Taro faces unrest among the local population, who would prefer to name him duke instead of his cousin. And when Lee starts having potentially deadly "accidents," she realizes that something is very wrong in Westsea...