A man's death seems directly related to a court battle over Native American land. But when during the invesitigation Nick comes into contact with a spiritual healer who sees the darkness inside him, the case seems suddenly unimportant. As Nick focuses on the possibilities of this spirtual realm, strange things begin to happen. Things seem to go from bad to worse when the murders escalate, and Nick is afraid he may somehow be responsible.

When a serial rapist is ripped to shreds by a dog, Natalie suspects that something isn't quite right. Nick's investigations leads him to suspect a carouche, a lower form of vampire who typically feeds on vermin, may be behind the dog's behavior. When Nick finds the dog, he discovers that it is the devoted companion of a blind dispatcher. Now he must figure out how to protect the dispatcher (and everybody else) from her not-so-mortal dog.