The prequel to eco-fantasy Painted Maidens Trilogy. Before Serena's rise, before the betrayed fought back, and before the Undine and werewolves took their own path, Darcy—a local college student—found herself in the middle of a war between two species that she thought existed only in fairy tales. Darcy has no family and very few friends, and is used to looking out for herself. When she meets Colin, a werewolf of clan Werich, she finds herself falling for him, no matter what the cost to her. But when Darcy descends into enemy caves in order to save Colin's life, she discovers secrets from her own past that link her to these creatures closer than she could have ever imagined.