ifter whose enhanced abilities have made him a ruthless protector of Elphyne. His job is to protect the realm from the human enemy, and to ensure the sins of the past never come to pass again lest magic die forever. But one night of weakness resulted in a curse worse than death - exile. Now he spends his lonely time longing to be part of the living, once again protecting them from monsters... until one mysteriously washes up on the shores of his lake.

Clarke is human. She's beautiful, feisty, and fierce. She's also the only person who can see him, speak to him, and touch him.

If he hands her over to the Order, she's his ticket to having his curse removed. Unable to resist the opportunity, he tricks her into a bargain of obedience, never once suspecting his world is about to be turned upside down. The more he learns about this human enemy, the more he realizes she's not the monster he's been trained to believe. In fact, she's capable of inciting passion he'd never dreamed possible again. But Clarke has a message from the past... sins are already repeating. This time, if they don't stop the coming evil, it won't just be magic that dies. It will be everything.