Leopard Lord — Alanna Morland

A new ruler is in Leopard's Gard. And new perils threaten the land...

For fifty years, the barony of Leopard's Gard has suffered brutal rule, under a series of barons in league with a dark power. Now the latest of these is dead, and his son Varian has inherited his father's lands--but with the lands he also inherits his father's power to shapeshift, and the demands that the dark god makes in return. Varian will be forced to ravage his own subjects as his father did before him.

In desperation, Varian strikes a terrible bargain. He promises that the woman he chooses to marry will be a gift to the dark god, in exchange for the land's freedom. When Varian marries the lovely Cathlin, he knows he will feel guilty about her fate, but convinces himself that one woman's life is a small price to pay for the release of thousands of his countrymen. But Varian didn't count on falling in love...