Tangled Bonds (Shadow Gods #1)

The curse that should have killed me bound me to a Shadow God.

I’ve spent years keeping the city’s most powerful vampire houses from tearing each other apart—maintaining a fragile balance of power built on secrets that could get me killed. It makes me valuable.

It also makes me a target. An unthinkable betrayal turns me into a problem worth eliminating.

The curse meant to get rid of me leaves my best friend dying—and summons the last being I ever wanted to face. The ruthless Shadow God, Cirrian. I do the only thing I can.

I imprison him and offer a bargain: his freedom for her life. For a heartbeat, the ward holds. Then he steps through it as if it never existed. And I’m face-to-face with death himself. Ancient. Cruel.

Unwavering. Instead of accepting my deal, he makes his own. His magic buys me time to save my friend. In return, I’m bound to him by an oath—and to a single task. The price of failure? My life.

Before I can find a way to break the oath, he drags me into Umbryth—his realm of immense magic, ruthless politics, and laws even gods fear breaking. The Shadow God didn’t choose me by chance.

The bond between us isn’t temporary. I’m not just part of Cirrian’s plan. I’m the key.