I. Hate. Magic. But it may be my only hope. My name is Misty and I’m a blood mage - a rare and powerful breed of spellcaster. Only a few are born each generation. Too bad I suck at it. After a serious accident, I left both magic and my family behind. These days I’m a simple tea broker in the Pacific Northwest. Sure, everyone but my sister Elaine hates me for “walking out on my destiny,” but it’s not like any of them talk to me anyway. Overall, my new life is great. Until my sister gets kidnapped by a demonic, criminal organization hell-bent on murder and destruction. They want me to find something for them, and they’ll kill my sister if I don’t do exactly as they say. My only hope of saving her is to dive head-first back into the magical world. The same world that chewed me up and spat me out. And this time, there may be no escape.

I thought I’d never have to see Val again. I was so very wrong. Val’s sudden appearance in my life had rocked my world, but it had all been a ruse. I should have punched him in his smug face, but my sister’s life was on the line. Now he’s back, insisting we must work together for the good of all. And the life of my sister, of course. The assignment this time? Track down the Mark of Ereshkigal, a piece of the enigmatic Crown of the Underworld. A trail of gruesome murders leads us to Dallas, where we find more waiting for us than we’d bargained for. Turns out we’re not the only ones hunting the Mark. And the other guys? They’re even more dangerous than the demons I work for. With time running short, this quest is about to take a deadly turn. And not just because I have to work with Val again…

With trouble brewing at home, the safest place to be might be halfway around the world. My boyfriend wants to talk about our relationship. A rogue mage wants to kill me for offing her lover. And Val? Val’s roguish charm is getting more and more tempting by the day. Thankfully, another Mark of the Underworld has surfaced far away on the island of Malta, meaning I get to take a little break from all of it. Well, everything but Val… This time, finding the Mark should be easy. That is, if my enemies don't find it first. The Lightless Seven sent another mage to steal the artifact and kill me - this one even more powerful than the last. I should be scared, but compared to my relationship issues, being chased by a deadly mage sounds like a walk in the park.

Everything was going right for once. Until one little text changed everything. I was just getting somewhere with Val, and I’d secured half the Marks of the Underworld. Things were looking up. Until a cryptic text sent me reeling. Now my relationship is in tatters, and yet another mysterious organization wants to kill me (that makes two of them). I barely avoided their last attempt to end my life, and have been in hiding ever since. But I can’t stay away forever. The magical realm calls to me, and my sister’s life is still in danger. Another Mark of the Underworld has been found. If I can find it first, I’ll be one step closer to freeing my sister from the demons’ grasp for good. One step closer to freedom from all of it. It’s a simple enough plan. If only my magic would cooperate…