With the death of Ruprekt Matkosen, his daughter Ashielle is now the Lord Governor of Ceocan. Her
father's murderers still lurk in the shadows, threatening not only her rule but every mortal soul under her protection. Even her own people cannot be trusted: any one of them may be part of the poisonous plot to destroy her family.

Deep beneath the palace, locked away from all human contact, Ashielle finds a weapon unlike any
other: a monster, more adept at hunting in the darkness than any assassin. Allying with such
a horror is surely blasphemy. But with doom lurking around every corner, Ashielle is forced to revive an ancient pact with the beast. But she soon discovers that her family's mortal enemies are not the only evil that hungers to consume her.