If you need words of comfort, perhaps remember this: there are all kinds of darkness in this world. Some good, some bad, and some with no agenda at all. It's what that darkness means to you and what you do with it yourself that matters most.' In a realm on the brink of destruction, evil forces snatch innocents to suffer fates worse than death. Only a monster hunter and her monstrous enemy can stop them. Drue Emmerson, noblewoman-turned-ranger, wants one thing: vengeance. With her family slain by the vicious shadow wraiths, she's determined to defend her fallen kingdom. And that means carving out the hearts of every dark creature she can find. Talemir Starling, celebrated warrior of the realms, has a dangerous secret: he's a half-wraith, kin to the creatures wreaking devastation on the world. He'll do anything to keep his true nature under control... especially around the woman who's vowed to destroy him. When someone Drue cares about disappears, all signs point to Talemir's kind. But he's determined to prove he's no monster, and to seek answers of his own. Begrudgingly, the pair must join forces to uncover the deadly truth. But in a world of chaos and carnage, where danger lurks at every turn, deadlier still is their attraction to one another - the one thing that might just spell the end of them both. Will Talemir win Drue's heart? Or will she carve his out before the end? From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Iron & Embers and originally published as Slaying the Shadow Prince, this is an epic fantasy romance with enemies to lovers, scorching spice, and a richly woven world of magic. It is a companion novel to the Legends of Thezmarr and the Ashes of Thezmarr series.