Secrets never last forever ... not when they control the fate of worlds. A wife, caged … Maria thought she was free of Elex’s vile brother, Cane, but now she’s his prisoner, alone in a foreign court that is nothing like her homeland. While she endures Cane’s torment and longs for freedom, Elex roams the streets of Oshala, plotting Maria’s rescue and his revenge. But as Elex and his supporters gear up for action, an unexpected threat changes everything. A sorceress, cornered … Ava’s escaped to the house of her youth, a magical fortress the dangerous Gods can’t penetrate. She convinces Billy to teach her magic, but Kush disagrees with many of Billy’s lessons about the Atlas Web and the Gods’ motives. Kush is determined that his father’s goals are good, that his work is important, and Ava’s stuck in the middle, striving to keep the peace between the two men she desperately needs. A daughter, sacrificed … Sophie’s worth is in nothing but marriage, and her sights are firmly set on Hale, the leader of Alter Blade; she must make him hers to escape her gilded cage. Unfortunately, Hale has no plans to shackle himself to anyone, especially not to a woman who only days ago pretended to be besotted with his younger brother. He has more important matters to attend, like unpicking his dead uncle’s affairs, but he’s not prepared for Sophie’s sharp wit and insults when he’d expected pouts and simpers, and he can’t seem to erase the blasted women from his mind. As Hale and Sophie grow closer, the domain of the Goddess rumbles to life. Sophie can’t shake the sickening feeling that the Goddess will ring the Toll Bells and claim her due, and if she does, for Sophie, it spells death.