At her wedding to the cursed Prince Rowan, inheritance lawyer Lyra discovers she is not his bride, but a sacrifice chosen by the royal family to prolong the king's life. On the brink of death, she awakens Claimfire—a flame that can burn only through the channels of forced blood sacrifice—but in doing so, condemns her sister Maddie to become the next offering. Forced to join forces with Rowan, who once authorized the use of “voluntary sacrifices,” Lyra fights to save herself and her family, tracing the blood ritual back to its source. In the end, she refuses to wield the power to choose who must die. Even knowing it may cost her the most precious memories of their love, she burns the original contract to ashes.
