"You're not prey, little courier. You're poison. And I'm already addicted."
The night Seraphina Vale is sold to vampires by her fiancé and best friend, her life comes to an end.

After being publicly humiliated and deprived of everything, including her humanity, profession, and dignity, Seraphina turns into a living conduit that transports vampire blood across areas. In the world of vampires, it's the lowest form of existence—expendable, invisible, and already dead. She keeps her head down, gives blood, and counts down the days until her five-year contract expires so she can get a piece of her destroyed life back.

She is then paired with him.
Nocturne Lucien. The Northern Territories' vampire lord. Twice as terrible and as beautiful as a fallen angel. He is notorious for killing every partner the blood bond attempts to provide him. He killed twenty-three women over the course of three centuries as soon as the link appeared. They claim that being selected as his mate is a death sentence wrapped in red silk, that his heart died long ago, and that he is incapable of loving.

Seraphina is aware of the restrictions, which include avoiding eye contact, speaking only when addressed, and most importantly, not allowing him to taste your blood.
In one disastrous night, she breaks all three.

The impossible occurs the instant Lucien's teeth bite her throat. His lifeless heart pulses. Violent, unwelcome, and unavoidable, the mate bond solidifies between them and leaves a lasting impression on both of their spirits. Lucien Nocturne experiences something other than emptiness for the first time in three centuries.
He ought to murder her. He is vulnerable because of the relationship, and in vampire politics, weakness leads to destruction. However, Seraphina's blood is distinct—ancient, strong, and immoral. It does more than simply nourish him. Something he believed he had buried with his humanity gets awakened by it.

Seraphina starts seeing visions as other vampire families pursue her in an attempt to control Lucien through their relationship. These visions include memories that aren't her own, such as a blood-stained throne, a bloodbath, and a vampire queen with her face. When the truth comes out, everything will fall apart.

Seraphina was not designed to be fed. She was destined to be in charge.
And the vampires that ruined her life? They would soon discover that the girl they discarded was the only thing keeping them from going extinct.

The blood messenger has passed away. The Blood Queen will live on.

I kill the first three attackers before they cross the courtyard.


My sword cuts through Viktor's soldiers like they're made of paper. They're young vampires—newly turned, barely trained. Cannon fodder sent to test my defenses.


Marcus and Jade hang back, letting their pawns die first. Smart. Cowardly, but smart.


Through the mate bond, I feel Seraphina's terror like a knife in my chest. Every spike of her fear makes my dead heart beat faster. It's distracting. Dangerous.


I haven't felt anything in three hundred years. Now I feel everything, and it's going to get us both killed.


"Misha!" I shout. "Get her to the north tower. Lock it down."


"Already on it, my lord!" Misha appears beside Seraphina, pulling her toward the keep's entrance.


But Jade intercepts them, moving with new vampire speed. She blocks their path, smiling.


"Hello, Sera," Jade purrs. "Did you miss me?"


Chapter 7 - The Monster Appears