Navigating campus bullying, old family debts, and the Witch Hunters on his trail, Eli fights his way forward and comes to know three true hearts: Adrian, who loves him deeply yet carries a blood curse and the infamy of a kinslayer; Kieran, who secretly shields him from blades; and Silas, who watches over him with gentle devotion. One after another, Kieran and Silas swear to reject the bond and sacrifice their own ranks so he may live, and Eli binds his name to Adrian. The truth of a twenty-year-old massacre is then laid bare: Dean Oren conspired with the Witch Hunters to murder Eli's parents, and Eli is in fact the sole half-blood heir of the King of Starlight and the White-Weave Witch. In the final battle, he cleanses the blood curse with his own blood, awakens both bloodlines, and is crowned king. The guilty are brought to justice and the wrongful stain is erased. Afterthreemonthsasleep,Eliwakes toAdriankeepingvigil athis side—and the two are finally together.
