Instead of killing her, the beast scoops Finley up and brings her to a palace that is dilapidated on the outside and immaculate inside, where he changes back into human form. One room holds revelers in the midst of a masquerade where the participants dance and engage in sexual acts the likes of which Finley has never witnessed. There, the beast is identified by name—Nyfain—and he orders a man named Hadriel to the tower room before leaving. Nyfain carries Finley up flights of stairs to the dark room at the top of the tower, where he locks her inside.

Alone with nothing but her thoughts, Finley realizes the beast resembles the dragons in the book of shifter history, making her wonder who Nyfain really is. Her musings are interrupted by the arrival of Hadriel, who is very drunk on both alcohol and leftover incubus lust magic. While the curse ravaged the villages, time inside the palace froze, keeping everyone inside healthy but trapped with the demons. Hadriel babbles about how he’s been stuck at age 26 in the palace for 16 years and used to enjoy drinking and having sex at the incubus parties, but now he just does it because he has nothing else to do. When he starts to talk about why Nyfain didn’t kill Finley, Hadriel abruptly stops talking. Magic suffocates the castle denizens to death if they mention things they shouldn’t, and Hadriel doesn’t want to die.

Hadriel used to live in one of the kingdoms ruled by a wolf shifter. After his parents were killed, he came to the castle when the queen took pity on him. He refuses to speak of what happened after the curse started, but he warns Finley about the dangers of the palace. The demons (incubi and others) have jurisdiction at night, and they won’t hesitate to take advantage of her. So long as Finley keeps her door locked, she’ll be safe from them, and Finley ends the chapter thinking, “safe from the demons, maybe, but it was already clear I wasn’t at all safe from the beast” (112).

Finley sleeps poorly, wondering how she can let her family know she’s alive. The following morning, her lady’s maid, Leala, arrives to help Finley dress, and the two discuss how Leala’s willing participation in the esoteric sexual desires of the demons has allowed her privileges. Leala also lets slip that Nyfain has forbidden Finley from leaving her room after dark. Finley bristles at the idea Nyfain thinks he can control her, and despite all the warnings, she vows “I would definitely leave my room after dark” (118).

Nyfain comes to Finley’s room and orders Leala to prepare a picnic. After she leaves, Nyfain observes that Finley’s trousers and shirt are too big and orders her to come with him. When she refuses, Nyfain leaves, and a moment later, Finley feels a painful compulsion to obey him. Shortly after, Hadriel arrives and begs Finley to come with him to the picnic with Nyfain because Hadriel is in no condition to take punishment today. On the way, he explains that he’s learned to be mediocre because the demons punish anyone with talent unless those people have an interest in their preferred sexual kinks.

On the way to the picnic, Hadriel tells Finley about his various exploits at the demon parties and all the different amenities the castle offers for people to enjoy themselves. If Finley is planning to go out at night despite Nyfain’s orders, Hadriel recommends she try the salon because it’s run by less powerful demons and is the tamest way to be pleasured. Finley tells Hadriel about her affinity for plants and offers to make a potion to block demon influence for both of them if she can gather the right ingredients.

At the picnic site, Finley is overcome by Nyfain’s raw, feral presence. After Hadriel is dismissed, Nyfain asks Finley about the everlass elixir to slow the curse. Though Finley still finds him infuriating, she tells him everything about the elixir, refusing to keep the knowledge a secret when it could save lives. Her explanation is full of snark and sarcasm, and Nyfain threatens to sexually assault her as punishment for her attitude. Even though Nyfain kidnapped her and is holding her against her will, his threat makes Finley go weak with lust.

With great effort, Finley and Nyfain break the sexual tension between them. Nyfain goes back to tending the everlass and orders Finley to make the elixir as soon as she can. Though the order annoys her, Finley agrees to help the castle’s denizens. The two discuss their knowledge of the everlass plants. Nyfain shares that offering the plants tenderness helps them grow and suggests 3:00 am is the ideal time to harvest them because demons are strongest at this hour. In turn, Finley explains that crowding the everlass makes them poisonous and stunts their growth. After examining the field, she finds 13 plants that seem intentionally crowded. Nyfain admits that his mother shared her incomplete knowledge of the plants with him, displaying a rare sensitivity when he talks about her.

Finley asks how Nyfain still has access to his animal when no one else does. Nyfain was able to force the shift, but it sliced off his animal’s wings and left him unable to heal the wounds, which is why he’s so scarred. If he dies, the demon king will take over and likely kill anyone left, but if the demon king dies, his power will simply be transferred to the next in line. Finley refuses to give up. She claims that she’s willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the kingdom, but Nyfain doubts that anyone is so selfless and caring. Finley challenges that Nyfain just isn’t willing to do what needs to be done because he’s too busy wallowing in everything he’s lost. Enraged, Nyfain charges her. She kicks him between the legs, drawing him up short. The two glare at each other until their emotions turn lustful. They kiss as Nyfain runs his hands over Finley’s flesh.

Before things get too far, Nyfain snaps back to himself and orders Finley to get her animal under control. When Finley says that he started this, Nyfain simply tells her, “[S]tay away from me, Finley. I’m not a nice man. I will destroy you” before leaving (158). Finley sits down to the picnic lunch with Hadriel and Leala, who reveal that Nyfain hasn’t had sex with anyone since the curse began and that he often goes to the villages to get information against the will of the demon king. Despite this, Nyfain has never taken another prisoner, but when Finley tries to ask why, Hadriel warns her that it’s dangerous to talk about. For her own safety, she needs to keep up the appearance that she’s a prisoner Nyfain will toy with and then toss away.

After the interaction with Nyfain, Finley can feel her animal starting to stir. She doesn’t understand why because the curse supposedly cut off shifters from their animals, but she figures that if Nyfain can transform, there must be something she doesn’t know. Hadriel shows Finley around the castle, talking up the different hobbies—such as knitting, candle making, and puzzles. The only room Finley has any interest for is the library, but she’s not allowed to go there without Nyfain because he’s protective of the books and the knowledge they contain. Still, the idea of Nyfain depriving her of books makes her animal restless. Hadriel notices and urges Finley to keep her animal tightly controlled. Suddenly, he stops speaking and clutches at his throat—talking about Finley’s animal activated the magical gag. Finley’s animal takes over, throwing Hadriel over her shoulder and running to Nyfain, somehow knowing where he is.

When Finley reaches the field of everlass where Nyfain works, Nyfain urges Finley to draw from his power to feed the healing magic in her animal’s blood. Frantically, Finley tries, almost losing control, but she manages to claw back the demon magic and let Hadriel breathe again. For a moment, Nyfain looks at her with uncharacteristic wonder and tenderness. Then, he shoves her away. Finley asks Nyfain to show her the library so she can educate herself and be ready to fight when it’s time. Nyfain doesn’t believe she can do anything to help and refuses to see her suffer like he has for nothing. At the sorrow in his eyes, Finley asks what happened to him. Nyfain doesn’t answer—just turns into the beast, picks her up, and runs back to the castle.