Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth White moves to Margate, a small town on the south coast, to live with her alcoholic mother, Janice and younger brother, Zack. No one really bothers to talk to the socially awkward Elizabeth at her new high school, except when they need her to help with assignments and homework, but she is intrigued by the both mysterious and aloof Bradley Cater. Elizabeth bumps into Bradley in science class on his first day of school, and coin sized blisters appear on her skin. He subsequently refuses to explain how he gave her blisters and warns her against telling anyone what happened between them and rudely tells her to stay from him. A few days later, Elizabeth is nearly mugged by a man in the grocery store's parking lot. Bradley saves her by breaking the mugger’s arm at a speed that is both inhuman and too fast for her eyes to see. Devastated over Zack's recent cancer diagnosis Elizabeth is tricked by Benjamin Boyle, a witch who's after her soul. Benjamin promises to heal Zack in exchange for her soul. She agrees. After much research, Elizabeth finds out that Bradley is a demon. He eventually confirms this but says he and the other Caters only consume the life essence of plants to sustain themselves. The pair fall in love, and Bradley introduces Elizabeth to his demon family. Christopher Carter, the family patriarch, is a headmaster at South Coast Academy. His wife is Clara, and Rebecca, Zane, and Victor are their children. Elizabeth and Bradley's relationship is soon in jeopardy, however, when four nomadic witches — Vanessa, Ethan, Josh and Sebastian sent by Benjamin to kidnap Elizabeth stop them in the middle of the road. Vanessa, a hunter witch with incredible senses, is instantly intrigued by Bradley's protectiveness over a human, which incites her to try to kill Beth. Bradley and the other Carters risk their lives to protect Beth, but Benjamin hypnotizes her, and instructs her to meet him at the old warehouse downtown. Benjamin breaks Beth's ribs before biting her ankle, infecting her with witch venom which will turn her into a demon. After a ferocious fight, Bradley subdues Benjamin just as the other Caters arrive. Rebecca, Zane and Clara destroy Benjamin, decapitating and burning him, as Christopher sucks the venom from Beth's ankle, preventing her from turning into a demon. Upon waking up in her bedroom, Bradley and Elizabeth fight over why she refuses to grant his request that he transform her into a demon.

Imani's sweet sixteen isn't so sweet in the secretive black nation of Noddon. Instead of a car and birthday bash, she's gifted with a sword and battle. She's the first female blacksmith and a Sabonis (people with no magical abilities). When someone starts kidnapping Blacksteels (people with rare magical abilities), killing them and then resurrecting them — they wake up as Shadows: thirsty for Sabonis blood — Imani has no choice but to forge a replica of the legendary Bakantwa Sword that will give her immense magical abilities, the right to rule the kingdom and save her people. To find the murderer, Imani enlists the help of her two best friends: an outspoken gay warrior carrying a curious sword, and an African demi-God discarded by his family. Each hides a secret that could get them killed. Together they seek to rescue the Blacksteels to form an alliance between them and the Sabonis. Imani and the demi-God D'ziko wrestle feelings for each other as they prepare for a dangerous showdown with the murderer. But the killer, someone very close to Imani, is setting a trap of his own. He wants them dead. Preferably in pieces.

Clara Newin's boyfriend, Daniel, insists he isn't going to die (Of course not). He's being deployed to Afghanistan for a year, after which he will come back to her and they can proceed with the wedding (Yeah sure, so the figures showing that five soldiers die in Afghanistan each day are false. It not like he'll be fighting off terrorists or dancing around flying bullets). South African service member, Daniel Adams(who's honouring his father's dying wishes by joining the army), damn sure is no believer in coincidences. When Thomas starts showing up wherever Daniel is with Clara -- as perfectly innocent as these encounters seem to be -- Daniel digs deep in his foggy memory to unmask the face of the man behind his father's 'suicide'. Thomas kidnaps Clara to lure Daniel into a trap. Daniel puts everything on the line when he commits to rescue her. Thomas captures Daniel and reveals the secret of why he wants Daniel dead. Preferably in pieces. Clara soon realises the only way to save Daniel and her family is to eliminate the threat, and the only way to do that is to kill Thomas(And no, a legal solution is definitely not a smarter choice, especially because Thomas is the son of a Mobster with connections in all the right places). As if that's not enough, Clara still has to convince Daniel to abandon his commission in the army forces.