In 18th century Africa, stories of monsters were not written; they were whispered as warnings into the ears of children who dared to look past the fires and huts of their villages into the darkness. More than not, those tales are true. Renounced priest, Dr. Noble Lincoln, never heard the story of the Asasabonsam; if so, he would never have set foot in Africa. The sudden death of his parents took Noble back to England from colonial America, and the impending birth of his child has him in a hurry to get home to Elizabeth and their two children. After purchasing passage on what he is told is a trade ship going to the Virginia colony, the schooner's captain forces Noble, under threat of death, to work as the ship's doctor and help in the selection of slave cargo. Unknowingly, Noble chooses Sassa, a man with a dark secret. The voyage turns from frightening into an unimaginable hell when Noble is infected by the legendary, vampiric beast, the Asasabonsam. In the new colonies of America, Sassa plans to use Noble to navigate the slave markets seeking revenge on the men responsible for murdering his children and finding his wife, who was sold into slavery.When everything goes awry, and Noble's wife is murdered, he flees to the church and an old friend, Father Benedict, for an exorcism believing he can rid himself of the demon put inside him by Sassa. During the ceremony, the angel Ambriel steps in with promises of future redemption and the return of his wife. Noble must accept he is no longer a man; he is the monster he fears. To reign in the beast, Ambriel lays a curse on Noble. He can never kill an innocent lamb of God, and he must repent for his sins of the past.Fearing for the safety of his children, Noble jumps a ship to England in hopes the church there can help him. After abandoning Sassa on the dock in the New World, Noble discovers he is not the only monster on his voyage. After the mysterious deaths of several crew members, Noble is found by a creature, not unlike himself. Ancient vampire, Dmitri Addleton, whose narcissism is only overshadowed by his loneliness, teaches Noble how to survive as a blood-drinking beast. Noble learns the sun is not his only enemy as the Asasabonsom. A secret order of the Vatican's Knights of Malta called the Archers, are dedicated to hunting the monsters of the world until every one of them is vanquished.With Rome's agents on his trail, Noble must find the reincarnation of his wife and gain her love and acceptance to lift the curse that threatens his humanity and his very soul.