Rose and Dimitri kiss, prompted by a mysterious voice. As they do, they discuss Dimitri’s complicated feelings about killing Strigoi, who used to be human or Moroi. He confesses that he finds peace with Rose. When he removes the necklace that she got from Victor, Rose’s mind instantly becomes less fogged. Their overpowering lust clears, though it momentarily resumes when Dimitri touches the necklace. Realizing that the necklace has been enchanted, Dimitri throws it out the window, leaving them both able to think clearly again. Recalling Lissa’s plight, Rose hurriedly reports everything to Dimitri. They rush to confirm Christian’s injury. Kirova and the guardians are skeptical of Rose’s assertion that guardians, not Strigoi, kidnapped Lissa, even when Christian confirms this. Rose enters Lissa’s mind and discovers that the guardians are under Victor’s employ. Through Lissa’s eyes, she sees the road they are taking. Kirova asks why Rose didn’t alert her sooner; Dimitri covers for her by saying she was under a compulsion spell that made her attack him.

Rose and Dimitri pursue Lissa with an entourage of guardians, and Rose uses her psychic connection to track Lissa’s movements. As they drive, Rose wonders if the closeness she felt with Dimitri while under the necklace’s power was entirely manufactured on his part; she knows that her feelings for him are genuine. Through Lissa’s mind, Rose sees Lissa enter a cabin. Victor is there, promising not to hurt her and apologizing for hurting Christian. He reveals that he and Natalie conspired to circulate rumors that Lissa wanted to run away again. He identifies Rose as a threat but assumes that she is still in the throes of the lust spell. He reports that he kidnapped Lissa so that she can heal him.

Victor reveals that he knows about Lissa’s success at healing the raven, and he also says that Rose wasn’t merely injured during the car accident. Instead, she died, and Lissa resurrected her. Lissa doesn’t believe him. He reveals that Natalie helped him leave the dead animals as a test to get Lissa to repeat her resurrection ability. His research has revealed that Lissa does have an elemental affinity, a rare one: spirit. It has been forgotten, and those who specialize in spirit are assumed to have not specialized in any type of magic at all. Lissa realizes that Rose’s theory about Ms. Karp and St. Vladimir is correct.

Victor says that spirit healing works on physical ailments but cannot cure a sickness. To keep him alive despite his Sandovsky’s Syndrome, Lissa would have to heal him repeatedly. Lissa contends that he could have just asked for her help, but Victor asserts that the school authorities would have been too consumed with questions of ethics to allow it. He is apologetic but claims that keeping her prisoner is for the best; not only will she help him, but he will protect her from the side effects of using excessive spirit, which damages the mind.

Lissa wants to stop using the element, but Victor counters that she will always be compelled to heal and reasons that if he keeps her prisoner, she will have limited opportunities for temptation, which will preserve her sanity. He plans to take his place as king of the Moroi and institute a policy in which Moroi fight alongside guardians in order to improve their survival rates against the Strigoi. He has been unable to take leadership due to his illness. Lissa sees the logic of this argument but still refuses to help her uncle, so he orders a Moroi named Kenneth to torture her.

In the car with Dimitri, Rose screams as she experiences Lissa’s pain and tells the others that Kenneth is using his air affinity to cause painful pressure in Lissa’s head and affect her breathing. Rose is unsurprised when Lissa agrees to help Victor in order to stop this torture. Rose, via Lissa, feels the beauty of spirit magic and the way its strength flows from Lissa into Victor. Lissa faints from the effort to heal him. When the convoy of guardians reaches Victor’s cabin, Dimitri urges Rose to stay behind, calling her “Roza,” the name he used while they kissed. Rose reluctantly agrees. Inside, Lissa wakes, and Rose reenters her mind and sees Lissa use compulsion to make a guard remain silent while she tries to escape. Christian emerges from the back of the car, revealing himself as a stowaway. Rose reports what she saw, and the two seek out Lissa, who is now escaping through the woods.

Rose chases Lissa through the woods, quickly outpacing Christian. Suddenly, she hears the baying of psi-hounds and realizes that this explains why Dimitri didn’t know about the incident in Chicago where she and Lissa encountered psi-hounds; they were sent by Victor, not by the Academy. Rose finds Lissa cornered by four hounds and fights them off. She is eventually aided by Christian, who uses his elemental power to light a branch on fire. Alberta, a guardian, arrives to end the battle. Christian is grievously injured, and Lissa laments that she does not have enough strength left to save him. Rose urges Lissa to drink her blood, which gives Lissa the strength to heal Christian. Rose faints from the blood loss. Later, Rose wakes in the Academy’s infirmary, where she convalesces for several days. They tell Kirova about Lissa’s powers, and Kirova agrees to keep this information secret. Victor is held captive, awaiting transport to the royal Moroi prisons. Natalie’s fate is less certain, as she was a minor acting under her father’s orders. Rose pities Natalie, recognizing that she was clearly desperate for her father’s attention and approval. The kidnapping provides clarity for Lissa, who makes up with Rose, breaks up with Aaron, and begins dating Christian despite his poor reputation. Dimitri and Rose do not speak until Rose leaves the infirmary; when she later encounters him in the gym, he urges her to report what happened while they were under the influence in the spell, even though he knows it will result in his being fired. He says that the difference in their ages is too great, though he allows that this will no longer be an issue when they are both older. Rose is hurt when he refers to her as “a child” and insists that he isn’t interested in her romantically.

Rose visits Victor in his cell, urging him to “break the spell” (310) that causes her lingering attraction to Dimitri. Victor tells her that the spell only worked because she and Dimitri were already naturally attracted to one another. Victor criticizes Dimitri for being so obvious in his feelings; as an adult, he should have been more circumspect. He has no regret for what he did to Lissa, claiming that he was motivated by his love for all Moroi. He allows that Lissa might make a fine leader. He also explains that being “shadow-kissed” refers to having died and been resurrected by a spirit-user. When Lissa resurrected Rose, this moment forged their psychic bond. He alludes to having powerful followers and suggests that his bid for the throne is not finished. Just then, Natalie approaches. Rose greets her pleasantly, but Natalie hits her with intense strength, and Rose realizes that Natalie has become a Strigoi.

Rose thinks of her training with Dimitri as she faces off against a supernaturally fast Natalie. Victor, released by his daughter, calls the order to have her turn Strigoi “a necessary sacrifice” (315). Victor flees, and Natalie frames her decision to become Strigoi as “worth it” to “save all of the Moroi” (315). She is casually unconcerned that her father may need to have her killed for this greater good if she cannot control herself. Natalie slams Rose against a wall, and Rose fears that she will be killed. Dimitri suddenly arrives and quickly defeats Natalie in battle, killing her with a silver stake to the heart. Rose, dizzy from the strikes to her head, asks him about Victor’s claim that Dimitri does care for her. He admits to lying about his true feelings because he knows that it is impossible for them to be together. He contends that their relative ages are a problem, and he believes that their relationship would cause issues because they will both work as Lissa’s guardians in the future. He knows that if he falls in love with Rose, he will protect her when he should be protecting Lissa.

In the infirmary, Rose learns that Dimitri saw Natalie’s victim, a teacher, and surmised that there was a Strigoi on campus. Victor has been recaptured and seems mysteriously unconcerned by this. Lissa is prescribed antidepressants, which helps her with her urges to self-harm. She ignores the gossip caused by her relationship with Christian, though she loses her relationship with some of the other royals. Rose finds the couple well-matched. She and Lissa retain some true friends, including Mason, who continues his interest in Rose.

Lissa laments that although her medication makes her happier, it prevents her from accessing her magic, which she misses. She wants to help others, but Rose and Christian both insist on the importance of helping herself first. Rose reflects on Ms. Karp, whom she now realizes must have decided to become a Strigoi in order to preserve her mental health, which was threatened by her spirit powers. This realization leads Rose to investigate St. Vladimir’s death, and a priest tells her that he “died of old age. Peacefully” (324). The priest attributes this end to “shadow-kissed Anna’s” influence. Rose realizes that she can help Lissa use her magic in a way that will not risk her mental health. She sees a bird, identifies it as the raven that Lissa resurrected, and feels optimistic about the future.