In the ruins of a once-grand noble estate, Lord Vethe Scarvian awakens with no recollection of how he survived mage fever. As he prepares to travel to Mayhaven to present an unwanted betrothal contract to a noblewoman he’s never met, Vethe wonders what price he must eventually pay for the dark magic that saved his life. And he wonders if a certain lady guard would wish to see him again. Back in her family’s guild, Lyria Guardia is haunted by her memories of the infuriatingly attractive wildmage she pulled through the Demon Forest. Her new prestigious training position within the Guard’s Guild should be everything she’s ever wanted. Instead, Lyria plans to do everything within her power to see Vethe one last time. Even if that means guarding the family of his betrothed. Come summer, their paths will cross in the city of Mayhaven. But the Citadel is waiting. For both Vethe and Lyria have tread perilously close to secrets that the powerful magic-wielding society is desperate to keep buried. And the serpentine streets of Mayhaven are anything but safe.