Just when everything was going so well, someone new arrives in town.

Jack's life is better than ever. He has put old sorrows to rest, and a flirtation with Karen Kilgraff has turned into a real relationship. He's even looking forward to meeting her sister when she visits San Antonio, hoping he gets the sibling seal of approval. For the first time in a decade, he's considering sharing his life with someone else.

Then Ollie calls Jack in to look at a body. The corpse was left desiccated and shriveled, though the victim had been seen only two days earlier. Jack detects a strange Nox essence at the crime scene, and starts a search for what kind of supernatural being could kill in such a way.

Upon returning to his office, Jack discovers a visitor waiting. A man who wears the same kind of coin around his neck, and needs Jack's help tracking a dangerous Nox that has left a trail of bodies throughout the world. Jack is happy to see his fellow member of the Nine, especially when he learns that his talisman is capable of so much more than he's ever realized. But will he survive long enough to get those lessons?