A princess born of ancient magic. A king no one dared invite. A courtship that could kill her.

On the night of her eighteenth birthday, Cassia Aurelian's magic reaches full strength, and she is meant to choose a husband from among the suitors gathered at her birthday gala. Each brings a gift to prove his worth. Then the Dark King arrives uninvited, and everything changes.

Everyone warns her of his cruelty. Rivals scheme for her hand. Poison finds its way into the court. Her magic starts to slip out of her control. Through it all, the man everyone fears keeps reaching her first.

Now Cassia must survive a court full of rivals and hidden killers, and decide whether the Dark King is her greatest danger or her only hope.