The demon Lucrecia accompanies her mistress to a remote castle to evaluate a powerful duke. He is suspected of dark magic and may be plotting to steal his brother’s throne. Lucy is shocked to discover that the duke has hired her erstwhile lover, the sorcerer Jacob, to vouch for his purity. Both Lucy and Jacob have agendas of their own at the duke's castle. They may need to put past quarrels aside if they want to leave alive.

Trapped in a necromancer’s tower on the longest night of the year. Merek is a pillar of his country community and a confirmed bachelor. He had his chance at love, and he let it slip away. But he’s got friends, a faithful dog, and a snug home. Holidays can be difficult, but Merek knows how to handle loneliness. When he volunteers to house-sit for a necromancer on the day before Solstice, Merek expects to be doing the job with no companion apart from his dog. He’s displeased to be trapped in the tower overnight by a sudden snow storm.

Sairis has never ridden a living horse, never left home, never kissed a man. He'd really like to do one of those things.... Sairis is a necromancer with a price on his head. He needs to get to the capital for a conference that may change his life. But he’s never ridden a horse before. At least not a live one.

Whisper doesn’t remember his real name. All he knows is the elite assassin guild that raised him—and controls him with the threat of blood magic. Plagued by nightmares, he doesn’t get to refuse assignments, even when his new job doesn’t make sense: infiltrate Prince Julien’s court, protect him until the signal arrives, then kill him.

Married to a ruthless prince, for years Max had to serve and obey the vicious magical nobles. Now, he is one of them. When the heir to the throne attacks him, Max accidentally responds with a lethal burst of magic. Max is certain he will be executed. But his power is too rare and precious for that....