Five days into her heat, Orlaith is still trapped in her tower. She tries to paint but cannot focus through the intense physical discomfort and animal-like arousal. Looking out at the storm, she worries about Kai, who once lost a friend to lightning. She steps naked onto her balcony, letting the rain cool her skin while battling her anxiety and lack of control.

A vicious Vruk howl rips through the forest, followed by a human scream that is abruptly silenced. Recognizing the danger, Orlaith grabs her robe and runs downstairs to warn Rhordyn. Near the bottom of Stony Stem, she overhears Baze reporting that a Vruk pack attacked a village near Lorn. She hides in the shadows as they emerge from a locked door opposite the stairwell. Rhordyn senses her presence and slams the door shut.

When Rhordyn leaves to handle the threat, Baze confronts Orlaith. She expresses her intent to follow Rhordyn into the forest, but Baze stops her with a wooden dagger to her throat, chastising her heat-driven recklessness. His eyes turn pitch-black as he warns her that he is not talking about the Vruks. Intimidated, she returns to her tower.

In her room, Orlaith chews night bark, a fast-acting sedative, to escape her arousal and fear. She falls asleep clutching a pillow slip that smells like Rhordyn. Orlaith has nightmares of Vruk talons, fire, a little boy with outstretched arms, a man choking her, and Rhordyn.

Orlaith awakens, screaming from a vivid nightmare. Her nose is bleeding, and she is overwhelmed by pressure in her head and the ache of her heat. Rhordyn carries her onto the rain-soaked balcony to cool her down, removes his wet shirt, and settles her against his bare chest. Orlaith claws at her own stomach, screaming that she wants to rip the feeling out. Rhordyn grabs her wrists to stop her from hurting herself.

Orlaith begs Rhordyn to “fix” her, pleading that she cannot take the pain anymore. After demanding she promise not to hurt herself again, he touches Orlaith intimately, bringing her to a powerful orgasm that temporarily relieves her suffering. She feels a surge of hope that their relationship might change.

Rhordyn carries Orlaith inside and places her in the icy bathtub, still wearing her robe. As he turns to leave, his demeanor is cold and detached. He reminds her of her promise and says she must learn to satisfy her desire herself, as he will not help again. He leaves, slamming the door; Orlaith feels crushed and overwhelmed with shame.

Orlaith wakes to find her fever has broken and she has started her period. Feeling empty and drained, she sees the blood-red ball gown Tanith delivered and covers it with a throw. She visits Kai at the rocky shore below the castle. He immediately senses she is bleeding and sits between her legs on the rock to comfort her. He tells her he has a gift, kisses her passionately, then explains that this is how someone who loves her should kiss her.

As Orlaith walks back into the castle, Rhordyn ambushes her. He slams her against a door, enraged, and pins her with his body. He confronts her about kissing Kai. She defiantly admits that she enjoyed it. He threatens to gut Kai if he catches them kissing again. Orlaith retorts that if he harms Kai, she will be gone from his life forever, implying he would lose access to her blood. Rhordyn releases her and stalks off, daring her to try it.

At night, Kai and his drako, Zykanth, are resting in their underwater trove when Rhordyn summons them by tapping a metal rod on the rocks above. Though Zykanth wants to eat Rhordyn, Kai stops him, absorbing Zykanth into his body and suppressing his drako’s urges. Kai and Rhordyn have a tense standoff. Kai notices a bulge in Rhordyn’s pocket that Zykanth senses is a treasure.

Kai confronts Rhordyn about the death of an Ocean Drake named Asha, revealing she was the last female of his kind and that Rhordyn has doomed his entire species. Rhordyn claims that Asha was his friend and a “casualty of war” (256). He states that he and Kai are on the same side, but warns him not to cross the line with Orlaith. Kai asserts that Orlaith needs him more than she needs Rhordyn.

Rhordyn asks when Kai last visited his species’ island, implying that he is also responsible for their doom. Kai senses emptiness in Rhordyn’s eyes similar to Orlaith’s. Rhordyn reveals the treasure from his pocket—an iridescent gem from Kai’s home island—and throws it into the ocean. The act shatters Kai’s self-control, and he transforms back into Zykanth, plunging into the water to retrieve the priceless gem. When he returns to the surface, Rhordyn is gone.

Rhordyn visits Greywin, a deaf master blacksmith, at his underground forge cave. Baze arrives, and Rhordyn presents him with new Ebonwood swords for Orlaith’s training. Baze objects, stating the swords are too dense, and the sound will be jarring for Orlaith. Rhordyn insists they do not have time to move more slowly and takes full responsibility for the decision. Baze warns that Orlaith spiked his tea the last time they changed her swords. Baze asks what is in a locked chest, and Rhordyn calls it a contingency he hopes they will not require.

As they leave the cave, Baze insists Rhordyn needs to tell Orlaith everything, but Rhordyn refuses. Baze points out that the shadow creature Orlaith feeds has nearly doubled in size, but Rhordyn says it will not hurt her. A female sprite arrives with a message scroll reporting that a regiment is low on supplies. Rhordyn decides to move them to the old barracks at Quoth Point. The news visibly disturbs Baze.

Orlaith trains with Baze on a log over a pond inhabited by selkies. She performs poorly, blaming her period and the new, heavier swords. Baze criticizes her focus, noting she is making novice mistakes she has not made in years. She falls into the water, and Baze helps her out. They argue, and Baze reveals he knows she kissed Kai, implying Rhordyn told him. Angered, Orlaith regains her focus and successfully trips Baze into the pond.

Baze pretends to be in danger and asks for Orlaith’s hand, then yanks her into the pond. They realize both their swords are lost in the pond. Multiple selkie heads break the surface, their eyes fixed on Orlaith and Baze. Baze realizes they are attracted to the scent of Orlaith’s blood. The selkies submerge, preparing to attack from below. Baze tells Orlaith to forget the swords and swim fast for the edge.

On the morning of the Tribunal and Conclave, Tanith wakes Orlaith, informing her that Baze is waiting for training and that Rhordyn ordered her to get sunshine. From her balcony, Orlaith sees visitors from the West, East, and South arriving for the events, with ships from all three territories anchored in Bitten Bay. She is annoyed when a woman picks a rose from her favorite bush. Tanith comments on Orlaith’s remarkably good eyesight and mentions that the gardeners feel constantly watched. Orlaith spots a patch of bluebells just beyond her Safety Line.

To avoid the crowds, Orlaith takes a secret route through The Tangle. In a narrow hall, she has an intense, wordless encounter with a handsome Bahari man with bronzed skin and “azure” eyes. She escapes into a hidden passage behind a tapestry. The passage leads to a secret viewing booth with a hole overlooking the throne room, where she watches the Tribunal. A man named Alstrich reports that a great beast has created a hole in the village’s fenced perimeter. Rhordyn promises to fix it and gives him a token.

A young, pregnant woman named Mishka comes forward. She reveals that she has accepted a cupla from a man in the South and requests permission to move there. She explains her decision is driven by fear of increasing Vruk attacks and rumors of disappearing children in the West. Rhordyn coldly grants her request. Orlaith is deeply disturbed by the revelation that children are missing and people feel unsafe.

After searching the greenhouse for bluebells without success, Orlaith goes to her Safety Line, hoping to see Shay. She takes out a jar with a rat as an offering, and Shay appears from the shadows. Orlaith silently communicates her desire for the bluebells growing just beyond the line. Shay reaches for them, but his touch withers them into husks. He appears distraught, and Orlaith reassures him that it is okay.

Suddenly, metallic clanging erupts nearby, like swords striking. The sound triggers excruciating head pain in Orlaith. She curls into a ball and screams as her nose begins to bleed. Shay lets out a horrific screech that momentarily helps before he darts away. Overwhelmed by pain, Orlaith considers throwing herself over the line into Shay’s void. She is suddenly crowded and touched by unfamiliar hands. Rhordyn appears with a snarl and lifts Orlaith into his arms. The Bahari male with azure eyes is holding a silver sword and staring at Rhordyn with hate and confusion. Rhordyn covers Orlaith’s eyes and carries her away, his heart beating violently.

Rhordyn holds Orlaith in a warm, sulfur-smelling spring, trying to calm her. The pain in her head is unbearable, and she rejects his offer to knock her unconscious. To relieve the pressure, she repeatedly dunks herself underwater and screams until she is listless. Rhordyn pulls her from the water and holds her against a wall. She realizes they are not in her usual bathing spot but in his personal chambers. For the first time, she sees genuine concern in his eyes. Intense sexual tension builds between them.

Orlaith is about to kiss Rhordyn, but is struck by the memory of his cruelty after her heat. She pushes away from him and walks toward the stairs leading out of the chamber. He stops her, pressing her against the wall from behind and burying his face in her neck, but says nothing. Frustrated by his silence, she pulls away and runs up the stairs.

Orlaith finds herself in Rhordyn’s quarters, The Den. The room is sparse, dominated by a large bed, a fireplace, and an artist’s easel. On the easel is a half-finished charcoal sketch of a delicate pair of hands, one resting in the other. She is deeply moved by the mournful beauty of the drawing. Rhordyn enters the room, and they share a tense, silent stare. Overwhelmed, Orlaith flees the room, runs back up Stony Stem, and collapses against her locked door. She weeps, admitting to herself that she is in love with a man who will never be hers and that it will ruin her.