Lyra was a student at Briarwood Academy, a proud member of Amberfen House who had somehow become close to not only Lucan Ashdown, but also his reckless secret friend, Caspian Rooke. The bond between the three of them was starting to bloom, uncertain feelings taking root and uncertain choices still waiting ahead. However, the duel and the death of Nella forced the three of them onto separate paths, leaving their shared past a tortuous burden throughout their everyday lives. Years later, the unusual witch is sought out by both of her childhood friends, though at different times. Each asks the same thing of her....to stand at their side, but on different terms. With emotions she has never forgotten blocking her path and the fate of the world on the line, can she really make that choice? Can she turn away from one friend and lover, to aid the other?

A shortcut home turns into a throat of an alley, and a whisper that knows your full name pulls you down into the dark. You wake bound to Kaelen Draven, a hollowed shadow wearing a beautiful face, and he has waited a very long time for you. He calls it salvation. His court calls you a vessel. The one person still looking for you is the childhood friend you left in the car.

The war is over. Your family is dead. The man who helped kill them is standing in the rain across from you. The treaty says you share the throne or no one sits on it, and the regent just walked out the door. Kaelen Vhore is a monster who keeps his word, and right now he's waiting for you to decide what happens next.

You used to be Ash, a boy assassin for the Silver Petals guild, trained by the fierce Elara. Three years ago, you faked your death and rebuilt yourself as Aria, a woman with a new name and a softer face, surviving on quiet contracts. Now a simple maid job at Lord Vex's estate has turned lethal: the guild is dining there tonight. When Elara's hand closes around your wrist, you have seconds to decide: disappear again, or face the family you left behind and the truth you buried with your old name.