At the Demon Hunter Academy, Ava Blake has spent her life being treated like a burden—rankless, powerless, and unworthy of the world she’s desperate to belong to. On the night of her trial, her fiancé Ethan abandons her in front of everyone, while Serena frames her with a forbidden mark and sends her to die in the abyss. But Ava’s blood awakens Cassian, the feared Shadow King, and binds their fates through a dangerous blood pact. Hunted by the academy, condemned by the Church, and surrounded by enemies who want to use her hidden power, Ava must decide whether Cassian is her greatest threat—or the only person willing to protect her. Betrayal, forbidden desire, and dark magic collide as Ava rises from humiliation to become the one force her enemies should have feared all along.
