Adelina Helsing was raised to believe monsters are meant to be hunted. As a member of the Nightbounds, an ancient order sworn to protect humanity from vampires, she has built her identity on discipline, loyalty, and emotional restraint. But Adelina is living a lie she does not remember choosing. On New Year’s Eve, 1999, the fragile order of her world collapses when her older brother Nicolas, a legendary hunter, is brutally murdered, signaling the unraveling of centuries-old treaties and the quiet beginning of war. In the aftermath, Adelina seeks vengeance. This puts her in the path of Balian Dracul, a powerful and deeply feared vampire who has haunted the edges of her life for reasons she cannot understand. Their connection feels older than memory. And far more dangerous.