First published 2026
The world shattered when nine Banes emerged and released their destructive power. The Core fae killed the monsters, but each Bane left behind a Plague to torment the survivors. The narrator lives as an outcast, half Bane and half fae, despised by everyone around her. She endures the hatred and survives each Plague outbreak that strikes her city. When a deadly Plague threatens to wipe out her home, the Pied Piper arrives to cleanse the infection. His magic works, but he demands payment: one hundred and thirty people, including her. Taken from everything she knows, she plots her escape. Her family needs her to return. But the Piper refuses to release her, and a dangerous attraction grows between them. His magic seeps into her skin while her blood calls to him. She must break free before she loses herself completely. If she fails to escape, her heart will not be the only casualty. The fate of the entire world hangs in the balance.
Genres: romance, fantasy, paranormal-fiction, young-adult, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotionally-charged, intense, suspenseful
Tropes: dangerous-attraction, enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, high-stakes-escape, outcast-protagonist
480 pages · Hardcover · Avon
Content warnings: death, violence