Faced with holding up their end of an impossible bargain, Van and Zander must choose between playing it safe and risking everything. Zander has failed to reproduce the spectacular show of power David is so desperate to see again, which puts him on the outs with his supposed mentor. In order to keep their bargain with the Eroi, he's forced to work more closely with them, which means being subjected to Ivy's mind-stealing presence again. Fighting his hunger becomes secondary to convincing her the Eroi are wrong about her purpose. Once the most detested of the Roth siblings, Van has now become David's pet. It's clear he intends to take her into his inner circle, but at what price? Van is forced to decide what she's willing to do in order to keep her family safe. If becoming David's protege is the only way... can she live up to his expectations without losing herself completely?.--Provided by publisher