Ava was just a child when she was pulled from a ritualistic fire by Lucius Vance, the city's most feared Mafia Don. Raised behind heavily guarded walls and trained to be a weapon, she views him as a heartless tyrant. She has no idea he is protecting her from a terrifying secret.​With her eighteenth birthday just weeks away, the clock is ticking. Ava’s childhood nightmares are returning—and so has Ethan, a mysterious classmate who makes her feel truly alive.​Blinded by a craving for freedom, Ava breaks the rules and escapes to run into Ethan's arms. But the warm welcome is a lie. The family is a fake. The comfort is a trap. The cult Lucius tried to burn to ash twelve years ago has returned to claim their debt—and Ava is the ultimate blood sacrifice.​Bound to a freezing marble altar, her only hope lies in the darkest shadows of the city. To save her, a Mafia Don will unleash a lethal war. In a world of deception, his vow is the only thing standing between Ava and the grave.