Biologist Jane, betrayed by her foster father Jack, is abducted by half-beast Seth as a "heater" for his Cold Phase. Healing his wounds and aiding his molt, she melts his ten-thousand-year-old heart. Jack's mercenaries attack; Seth shields Jane from a deadly electric grid. Jane stabs Jack and leaps off a cliff with Seth, then gives herself to him, awakening his titan-python form, which destroys helicopters and burns Jack. Later, a biochemical toxin threatens the island—Jane synthesizes an antidote with Wolf King Kyle, saving all lives. Pregnant, Seth nests obsessively, carving a cave behind a waterfall and gathering soft furs. Jane lays a black-and-gold egg; from it hatches a half-human, half-serpent baby. Beneath a rainbow by the waterfall, the family lives in eternal bliss.
