Marrying for love was never in the stars for Creslyn, as evidenced by her future husband. Drake is a calculating, cruel dragon-rider who wields a blade of death. By all rights, he should be terrifying. But something about him draws her in, his shadows calling to the darkness she keeps locked away inside. She isn't foolish enough to expect love from a contracted marriage, but when they bind their vows in blood, Creslyn does the unthinkable-she claims Drake as her mate.

He was a monster of shadow and night, of death and destruction.

Cursed since his first breath, Drake has only known power and a realm of shadows. But now he's bound to a faerie whose heart bleeds for him, and his obsession with her only grows with each passing day. Unfortunately, his world of violence puts her life at stake. Not only is he still the Shadowblade Assassin, but unrest is brewing in Aeramere, and an attack on House Celestine confirms an ill-fated prophecy.

As Creslyn struggles to break Drake's curse while embracing her own darkness, Drake will be faced with a terrible choice-one that will only end in sacrifice.

Secrets will be unearthed and their bond will be put to the test, because love might be enough for a hero, but it will never save a villain.