At age sixteen, Salem's life ends. Or at least, that's what everyone believes. Chosen as the sacrifice in a ritual meant to awaken Malia, the Prime Minister's son, Salem is pushed beyond the limits of fear, pain, and despair. But Instead of dying, Salem awakens Then she is abandoned in the Outer City. There, she is taken in by He Li, a ruthless and influential mafia lord who recognizes her as the little girl he once knew. Salem, however, has no memory of him. As she struggles to understand her new abilities and the secrets surrounding her past, Heli becomes more than her protector. Their growing attraction forces Salem to question whether she can trust the dangerous man who seems to know her better than she knows herself. Years later, Salem meets Malia again. The boy whose awakening was the reason she was sacrificed is no longer a boy, and the connection between them is far more complicated than Salem expected. Caught between two men tied to two different parts of her forgotten past, Salem must uncover the truth about who she is, why she was sacrificed. And also why her Awakening may be more significant, more dangerous than anyone realized.

Ariana and Jeanie have been best friends since childhood. Despite the betrayal that tore their families apart years ago, the only person Ariana really lost was Caleb, Jeanie’s younger brother, who was sent abroad for some shady reason. Now, at twenty-three, Caleb is back. To Ariana, he is still the younger brother she remembers—sweet, familiar, and completely off-limits. Romance doesn't even cross her mind. But Caleb has never seen her that way. He has been in love with Ariana for years, and his feelings have only deepened while they were apart. Around her, the cold, difficult man everyone else knows becomes gentle, attentive, and almost impossibly compliant. Even Jeanie doesn't recognize the version of her brother that Ariana brings out. Ariana remains oblivious to just how deeply Caleb wants her in his life. And his pursuit is relentless. But as their relationship begins to change, Ariana is forced to confront the one possibility she never dared to consider, Caleb is not a kid anymore.