As a newly freed prisoner, Lisia is ill-equipped to participate in the grueling training program that prepares the elite to venture offshore, though she must, as part of her probationary penance. It also happens to be the safest place to hide from another prisoner who is out for her blood. Her situation doesn't improve when a chance encounter with a striking stranger triggers magic that illegally marks them both, a secret that could cost them their lives if discovered. The undeniable attraction she feels towards him exacerbates her surplus of problems. Graduating the training isn't the goal—it's the starting line in a fight for her life.