Esme escaped the Ide trials with her life. What she didn't escape was him. Now Dayn is watching her differently, as if whatever happened in the trials changed something between them in a way she doesn't fully understand. But the worst part is the more time she spends alone with him, the harder it becomes to pretend she doesn't feel it too. As old secrets begin surfacing within Darkbirch, Esme is pulled deeper into dangerous mysteries, shifting alliances, and truths that were buried for a reason. But with every answer uncovered, the tension between her and Dayn only tightens, until the line between enemy, ally, and something far more dangerous starts to blur completely. Meanwhile, Brynn is discovering that a Malabranche demon's attention is far more dangerous than Chad's threats ever were. And the deeper they dig into the lies surrounding Darkbirch... the clearer it becomes that someone has been planning things for a very long time.