A realm on the brink of war. A halfling princess bartered in blood. An ancient threat reemerging.

The day I rode to the Rift with my brother the king, I never expected him to deliver me into the hands of our enemies. Desperate to stop the Deepnight from covering his kingdom in shadow, he’s pledged me as a blood slave to King Laurent, ruler of the vampire kingdom of Nor Doru. It’s a humiliation I never imagined I would bear. A betrayal I’m not sure I can forgive.

Unfortunately, my wishes don’t factor into the decisions of kings. Raised a princess, I know my duty. For as long as I’m bound in service, I’m at Laurent’s mercy. Survival means giving him my vein and my body. And when his cruel and arrogant general Varick demands the same, I must obey.

But all is not as it seems in the vampire court. King Laurent has secrets, not the least of which is how much he enjoys his general’s company. Almost from the moment I enter the twilight world of the Deepnight, I learn my journey across the Rift was so much more than a barter. And it’s not just Laurent and Varick I need to be wary of. There are rumors of darkness stirring—of long-forgotten danger rising in the old elven lands.

There’s something stirring in me, too. I’m hearing things I shouldn’t, and doing things no one should be able to do. The king takes me and I take his vein—and each time it gets harder to keep my new abilities a secret.

Torn between two kingdoms and two men, I’m surrounded by danger on all sides. My body has become a battleground, and I’m determined not to let the enemy win. But the more time I spend in the vampire court, the harder it is to resist the pleasure of being conquered.

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