Marzana was once death in the dark. Now she teaches others not to become her.

At Bloodlust Academy, hidden in the shadows of a world fraying at its edges, ex-assassin Marzana—Marz to those brave enough to speak her name—teaches young vampires how to control their hunger, power, and rage.

But when the academy is raided by human forces and her students are stolen for something far worse than death, the mask of peace begins to crack. War is stirring again and it’s coming for her.

In the chaos, a human soldier throws himself into harm’s way to save her. Everett Hill should be her enemy. Instead, he bleeds in her arms and against every instinct, she takes him in.

He’s searching for something too, the Council of Five, and the one among them who can wield the power of truth. Everett wants answers about what happened to his family. Marz wants her students back and maybe, for once, to stop running from who she was.

But as they draw closer to the heart of the conflict, Marz begins to fear that the end of the war won’t bring peace… only truths she may never be able to live with.