Directly after her suspension, Cate goes to the Avalon Hotel, which was the site of the shooting. She is determined to find and confront Lachlan Gage. At the hotel’s entrance, a handsome and heavily armed man stops her. The novel later reveals that he is Lachlan, though Cate doesn’t know this yet. When Cate insists that she is there to bargain for her brother’s life, the man agrees to escort her inside. He warns her that his kind deals in desire rather than mercy and that she must not eat or drink anything offered to her.

He leads her through the opulent hotel, mentioning that they are in the middle of a celebration called the Equinox or Mabon. They descend in an elevator to a lavish underground club filled with partygoers. They pass two guards, Shaw and Roark, and her guide leads her away from the main festivities. They arrive at a private door, where he instructs her to wait for an audience.

Once inside the private office, Cate is stunned to realize that her guide is Lachlan Gage, the head of the Gage family. Before she can speak, Lachlan first deals with another matter: A man named Martin pleads for mercy, but Lachlan authorizes another guest, MacAlister, to sever Martin’s hand as punishment for some past crime. Cate is horrified. Her nursing instincts take over, and she provides first aid to Martin.

After Lachlan dismisses the others, he tells Cate that Channing’s debt is his life, not a monetary sum. Cate offers her mother’s emerald ring as payment, attempting to slide it off her finger, but Lachlan dismisses it as worthless. In desperation, she tells him she will give him “anything” in exchange for Channing’s safety. Lachlan asks if she would give her soul, and though Cate is confused by the question, she says she would. Lachlan tosses her an apple, asking her to eat. After Cate takes a bite, she immediately begins to feel a strange, prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Lachlan takes the apple and bites from the exact same spot, declaring their bargain sealed. Cate feels a sudden, magical paralysis spread through her body as Lachlan snaps his fingers.

Cate is magically transported to a wild garden in a realm she does not recognize. Lachlan transforms before her: He becomes larger, his ears become pointed, and his tattoos begin to shift across his skin. He reveals that he is fae and explains that she is in his realm, the Otherworld. The garden is part of his Nether Court palace, which is to be her new home. Cate is shocked and angry, but Lachlan informs her that bargains made with his kind are permanent.

He promises that Channing will be safe as long as she upholds her side of their deal. Lachlan then leads her into the palace foyer but states he must return to his Equinox guests. He vanishes, leaving Cate alone. She quickly discovers that all the doors are magically sealed, and she is trapped inside the palace.

Cate explores the grand palace, confirming it is a magical prison when she discovers the windows are warded and unbreakable. Lachlan reappears and leads her to a luxurious bedroom. Cate angrily accuses him of tricking her, but Lachlan insists that she offered herself to him. Believing that sex must be part of the bargain, she tells him to get it over with. Lachlan is amused by her assumption and clarifies that sex is not part of their arrangement. He tells her she is “not [his] type” (44), leaving her mortified.

He then informs her that the Equinox celebration will continue for several more days and that she is to remain in her room for the duration. He reveals that he was aware of her attempts to escape, even though he wasn’t present, and he mocks her defiance before locking her in the room. Left alone and overwhelmed, Cate collapses in despair.

Cate spends the night in an armchair she pushes against her locked door to ensure that Lachlan stays out. The next morning, Lachlan knocks on her door, and when he observes her fortifications, he tells her they are unnecessary—he says he would never enter her room if her door is locked. He also reveals that no barricade can truly prevent him from entering as he can “nip” or teleport past any door. He demonstrates “nipping” by teleporting himself and Cate to a dining room for breakfast. His guard, Roark, is also present. Cate notices that Roark and Lachlan wear similar rings. After Roark leaves, Cate asks Lachlan if Roark is his personal bodyguard. Lachlan says he doesn’t need protection and discloses that Roark is his “penumbra” or shadow: Roark was born on the same day and time as Lachlan and was raised with him as his companion and deputy. Lachlan says that any attack against a penumbra is considered treason and is punished just as severely as attacking the heir.

Lachlan then gives Cate a necklace containing a pendant with a dark onyx-like stone that he says is “abismine,” a stone from his world. Cate notices it is the same stone that Lachlan and Roark have on their rings. Lachlan explains that the magical artifact tethers them together and will allow her to travel between the human world and the Otherworld. He says that if she touches the stone, he can hear her thoughts; she can use it to call him if she needs him. He then lays out the terms of their bargain: She can continue to live her human life—including keeping her job—during the day, but she must return to him and the Nether Court every night. He warns her that if she doesn’t come on her own accord, he will drag her back unpleasantly.

Lachlan states that their bargain will only end with his death or hers. When Cate angrily refuses his demand that she attend a party with him that evening, Lachlan becomes enraged and punishes her by teleporting her back to her room at the palace rather than sending her home to New Orleans. Feeling completely trapped, Cate reasons that even if she manages to escape Lachlan, he will still go after Channing. So, to ensure Channing’s safety as well as hers, she decides she must kill Lachlan.

On the evening of the party, Cate prepares to kill Lachlan: She plans to hide in his room after the party and then shoot him using one of his own guns. A fae woman appears at her door to help her dress for the party, and Cate assumes she is a servant. The novel later reveals that this is Fiona, Lachlan’s sister. Fiona is impatient with Cate’s protests that she can dress herself and uses magic that she calls “glamour” to enhance Cate’s appearance. Fiona describes glamour as a veil that can either hide or accentuate appearances. As she works, Fiona explains that the party is being held to celebrate the Equinox and that members from the other fae courts will be present, though Cate will be the only human. Cate worries about the consequences of killing Lachlan on such a momentous occasion but consoles herself that she has no other choice. Fiona also gives her ominous warnings that the fae exchange gifts at the Equinox and hints that Lachlan might be planning to trade Cate to another court for favors.

A second, much friendlier woman arrives, introducing herself as Lachlan’s sister Ciara. She is surprised to see Fiona with Cate, and this is when Cate realizes that Fiona isn’t actually a servant. Cate discovers that Fiona was using glamour to hide her rich garments and jewelry. Ciara reassures Cate, explaining that their family’s fearsome reputation is itself a kind of glamour. She confirms that fae courts secretly oversee and protect mortal cities like New Orleans where the veil between worlds is thin. She also tells Cate that other supernatural creatures, such as vampires and werewolves, are real. Cate feels overwhelmed by all this information as Ciara leads her toward the party.