Maximus, Travis, and Lace are still in the kitchen when Darien and Loren enter. Darien reprimands them for ignoring his orders to make Loren feel welcome. He orders the other Devils not to tell Randal, the leader of the Darkslayers, about Loren. Loren, shaking, explains that she has an issue with her blood sugar, but that doctors have been unable to accurately diagnose it. Darien expertly prepares a meal, which she insists he share with her.

Ivyana, Darien’s twin, enters the kitchen and welcomes Loren warmly, though she is clearly curious about Loren’s presence in the house. Ivyana heads up to her room, and Loren examines the photos of the Darkslayers hung around the house, which shock her in their normalcy. She most admires one of Darien and Ivyana, in which Darien wears a warmer smile than any she has seen from him.

Loren wakes to an empty house. Annoyed that Darien has left her alone and without information, she packs her things. Before she can leave, Darien returns and stops her. He gives her a gold necklace, which he describes as an Avertera talisman that blocks her from any Darkslayers trying to track her. She thanks him for the expensive and rare artifact. She promises not to try to leave the house without him again, especially after learning it would compromise the location of Hell’s Gate.

They go to Dusk Hollow, the oldest graveyard in Angelthene. Three of the Devils—Max, Jack, and Tanner, the latter two members of the group that Loren hasn’t yet met—meet them there. Darien’s Familiar, a large black dog with whom Darien can communicate telepathically, also meets them.

Darien shields Loren as a group of ghostly, skeletal wights surrounds them. The four Devils and their Familiars face down the creatures. The wights swirl threateningly until Benjamin, the leader of the grave robbers who operate out of the graveyard, appears. Darien warns Loren not to speak to volatile Benjamin as they head inside. Darien asks Benjamin for the origin of the bone powder used to track Loren. When Benjamin steps away to take a phone call, Loren finds a piece of paper that shows that he was hunting her. When Benjamin returns, Darien demands that he explain at gunpoint.

Benjamin insists that he and Darien are on the same side, arguing that he didn’t know Loren was a human until she arrived with Darien, and that he wouldn’t have killed someone who didn’t deserve it. Darien uses his magic to confirm that Benjamin is telling the truth. Benjamin overheard rumors about the expensive bounty and sought the reward. He planned to work with Tyson Geller, a Darkslayer from the Reaper group and one of Darien’s former friends. Benjamin’s grave-robbing skills led got him hired by Cain to find the bone powder needed to track Loren. (This turns out to belong to her father, Erasmus.) Benjamin agrees to stop searching for the bone powder and report any relevant information about Loren to Darien.

Loren is relieved to have Benjamin as an ally. As she and Darien return to Hell’s Gate, he asks why she didn’t scream for help in the alley; she admits her fear of getting bystanders hurt. Loren feels she is safest when Darien is nearby.

Loren watches as Darien uses the illegal magic enhancer Stygian salt to scry for Sabrine. Loren asks questions about the process, which annoys and distracts Darien. She admires his appearance as he concentrates, then fears that he will sense her attraction. He confirms that he can, because she has neglected to don her talisman. She enjoys the feeling of him using his magic to detect her emotions. He teases her about her shocked reaction when he uses coarse language to describe sex. When Darien teases that he is “not a nice person,” Loren contends that his supposed meanness is “a mask to keep people out” (140).

Darien’s magic fails to locate Sabrine, which means she’s being shielded by magically talented captors. Darien likens his magical search to thermal imaging and alludes to his father abusing him under the guise of teaching magical control. It was Darien’s mother who explained the magic in a way he could comprehend. His mother died when Darien was a teenager after a struggle with mental illness. Her death is implied to be death by suicide.

The next day, at the Academy, Dallas teases Loren about Darien’s good looks; Loren mocks her sister for being more interested in a handsome man than the plot against Loren’s life. They lament the failed efforts to find Sabrine and plan to get into the Academy’s restricted building. That afternoon, the sisters attend a lecture from the academy’s headmaster, where he argues that humans are extraordinary specifically because their lifespans are shorter than immortals. Loren ponders the effect of mortality on the fullness of life.

Loren works a weekend shift at the apothecary, with Dallas and her dog, Singer, accompanying her. Loren is eager to see Darien again after a week apart. The sisters share a pizza, which they must keep away from the hungry magical plants that seek to steal their lunch. Dallas is jealous that Loren has been spending so much time with Darien but allows that she is busy with starting her training with the Aerial Fleet, something she has dreamed of all her life.

Darien and Loren attend a candlelight vigil for Sabrine and Chrysantha Sands, a missing teenage werewolf. When Loren approaches Dallas, she realizes that Darien has vanished; he soon reappears with Maximus. Dallas flirts with them both; Maximus admires her. Loren frets about a “weight” in Darien’s expression. When the men walk away, Dallas expresses her sexual interest in Max and contends that Darien is attracted to Loren, which Loren denies. Dallas hatches a plan to follow Max and Darien when they visit Cain. Loren reluctantly agrees.

Away from the women, Darien teases Max about his obvious attraction to Dallas. Privately, Darien tries to ignore his own attraction to Loren. He vows to avoid a sexual entanglement with Loren, as it would complicate his role as protector. His Familiar, Bandit, speaks in his mind, urging him to give in to the urge to get to know Loren better. Darien and Max speak to Logan Sands, Chrysantha’s brother and a major leader among the werewolves after his father’s death. Logan resents Darien for ignoring a call for help in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Logan is surprised that Darien is helping humans but tells them that he last spoke to his sister when she was “serving drinks at a dive bar” (163). Darien explains how Sabrine’s abduction was really about Loren and promises to share any information about Chrysantha that he uncovers.

After taking Loren back to Hell’s Gate, Darien goes to Stone’s End, where Cain lives. They are stopped by the police, who explain that Cain’s people blew up a shopping mall, injuring families and children. The officer implies that he will turn a blind eye if Darien attacks Cain, as the police cannot prove his connection to the explosion. Darien is disgusted by the death of innocents but decides to “deal with” Cain after Loren and Sabrine are safe.

Darien is furious when he realizes that Dallas and Loren have followed him. He orders them into the car with Max, Jack, and Lace. Loren’s nerves increase as they go deeper into Stone’s End, which shows signs of violence everywhere. When the Devils enter Cain’s home, Darien orders Loren and Dallas to stay in the magically protected car.

Cain and a heavily armed crew await the Devils. Cain was injured in an explosion after creating illegal and dangerous Blood Potions that allowed users to perform illegal Blood Magic. Cain professes his loyalty to Randal Slade, the leader of the Darkslayers. Darien contends that it is not loyal to steal a contract from one of the Darkslaying circles. Cain has a massive mosaic of a phoenix in his house. When he refuses to give Darien information about Loren’s bounty, Darien attacks him, and the other Devils prevent Cain’s men from retaliating.

Under pressure, Cain admits that Koray and Xander, two half-vampire hellsehers, were offered the higher four-million mynet bounty on Loren. Cain vaguely overheard that Loren is needed for “something called the Initiation” (179). (This refers to the Arcanum Well’s ability to give immortality or heal injured immortals.) Cain reports that Sabrine’s captors plan to set Sabrine free if Loren turns herself in. Darien fears that Loren will hear of this and give herself up. Darien offers Cain a fair fight, but after Cain lands a single punch, Darien defeats him easily.

From the car, Loren tries to ignore the sounds of the brawl inside. When the Devils return to the car, wiping blood from their hands, they say nothing. On the way back, Loren feels unwell, her blood sugar dropping. They go to a cafe, which Loren finds surreal, as the Devils are legendary and their surroundings mundane. Loren thrills at seeing how the Devils make others nervous.

Darien steps outside to take a call from Randal, who warns Darien against acting without Randal’s permission, as he did when he attacked Cain. Randal threatens Darien and Ivyana, which infuriates Darien. He plans to kill Randal someday. Darien’s silence on the trip home discomfits Loren, who apologizes for following him. He brushes off her apology, still upset and ignoring her pleas to talk. Max consoles her that Darien isn’t angry at her but doesn’t share more about Darien’s feelings. He urges her not to “hold his behaviour tonight against him” (192).

Loren sees Darien at breakfast the next morning, exhausted after a night kept awake by the sounds of him having sex with someone. Loren is irritated at herself for being jealous. When she comments, Darien explains that Travis had the partner, not him. She blushes and denies being jealous, but her jealousy clearly pleases Darien. They snap at one another, leading him to admit that if Loren gives herself up, Sabrine’s captors will release her. Loren immediately yanks off her protective talisman and bolts for the door, but Darien stops her. She tries to fight her way free, but he holds her until she sobs herself to sleep.

When Loren wakes, Darien awaits with the talisman. He plans to stay with her until he believes she won’t turn herself in. He brushes off her efforts to apologize for hurting him as she tried to get free, and the two watch movies together. Darien plans to leave to go to the fighting pits, but Bandit hides his keys. He chases the Familiar to Loren’s room, where he finds her upset. She explains that she has a “non-negotiable” appointment at the hospital several times per year to touch up her magical tattoo, an extremely painful process. She must go to the hospital when they call; she is needed there in an hour. Darien offers to take her.

Jack, Max, and Tanner tag along to the hospital, where Tanner connects Loren with his mother, Dr. Atlas. Dr. Atlas teasingly prods the Devils to hold Loren’s hand while she goes through the tattooing. Loren finds that Darien holding her helps her manage the pain. Darien, impressed with her stoicism, distracts her with conversation. He encourages her to seek her own path, not to just follow the path her friends have chosen. He offers to connect her to a school known for botanical magic, if she desires.

As Darien holds Loren’s hand, he gently traces circles on her skin to calm her nerves. The contact flusters Loren, revealing the growing attraction between them. His teasing questions and her nervous denial highlight the romantic tension developing beneath their partnership.

As the group leaves the hospital, they walk through a crowded ward of Tricking patients. Dr. Atlas has noticed an uptick in cases. Darien suffers a magical Surge and races from the building, urging Loren to stay away from him. Reluctantly, she allows Max to lead her away; he explains that Darien manages his Surges by fighting.

Max takes Loren to the Academy as she frets about Darien. She vows to keep “distance between them,” reminding herself that he is her protector, not her friend (218). At school, Dallas reports that another human student has gone missing. Loren plans to visit the Old Hall as soon as possible.

Darien manages his Surge by tracking down another clue in Loren’s case. He visits the Reapers, another Darkslayer group. He regrets speaking harshly to Loren, which he did out of embarrassment over the Surge. Darien speaks with Aspen Van Halen, a Reaper and formerly one of Lace’s closest friends before a feud between their two groups separated them. Aspen fears the retribution of Malakai, the Reapers’ leader, if she reaches out to Lace. Malakai refuses to speak to Darien until Darien proves that he maimed a traitor to the Reapers as a “peace offering.” Once he does, Malakai agrees to tell Tyson, another Reaper, not to pursue Loren.

Loren and Dallas speed up their Old Hall investigation when a second human and fourth student goes missing. Loren doubts that Darien is focused on the case, as he texts her sporadically. Dallas tries and fails to find a weak spot in the magic warding the Old Hall, but while they search, they stumble across a dead body being eaten by a demon. Terrified, they flee back to the dining hall of the Academy, barely managing to shut the door before the demon gets inside. Headmaster Langdon arrives and kills the demon with magic, though it takes significant effort.

Loren and Dallas spend the weekend at Hell’s Gate, which relieves Darien. Max reports that Malakai broke Tyson’s jaw for considering betraying the Reapers. Max worries that these rumors will attract Randal’s attention, but Darien plans to pretend that Loren is a sexual fling, unworthy of the Darkslayers’ interest. Darien teases Max about his sexual relationship with Dallas.

A week later, Loren presents her own research into the Phoenix Head Society to Darien. Rumors indicate that the society was formed of mortals who produced an artifact that would allow them to become immortal. This aligns with what Cain told Darien about the Initiation; Loren is annoyed that Darien didn’t share his information. He asks her to trust him, even when the work he is doing to protect her isn’t obvious. She insists she wants to know all the details of how he is seeking answers, including the violent ones. He agrees to start taking her with him as he seeks information but warns that what she sees might be distressing.

Darien has photographs of the three missing humans, all of whom resemble Loren. He has failed to scry for them. He and Loren plan to enter the Old Hall the following night. Tanner helps them hack the spells that protect the Old Hall. At Tanner’s signal, Dallas, Loren, and Darien go past the wards. When Loren grows nervous climbing a high fence, Darien flirts with her to distract her. Darien hurries inside the Old Hall, leaving Dallas and Loren scrambling after him.