A story about fear and anger and what it takes to turn your back on those you love. Renie Ward does everything she can to hide her scars. They tell a truth she tries desperately to deny, a secret that could cost her life. She hides the scars breaking her skin, because they show what resides underneath – darkness. She is a dark sorcerer, a crime in existence. Not that Renie considers herself a sorcerer. Her magic is greedy and consuming and leaves her in ruins… and it is growing stronger. But when she encounters the Atrate, he promises her power, a life free of fear, but she dismisses the offer. That is, until her adoptive parents decide to send her to a mental hospital for her supposed anger issues, and she and Billy – her adoptive brother, her loyal protector – run away. Having nowhere to go but the cold streets, they break into an apartment through an unlocked window, not knowing the apartment belongs to Mason – the boy Billy is secretly in love with. With the threat of discovery hanging over Renie’s head, she calls the Atrate for help. The darkness inside her is nothing compared to what awaits her in the shadows.