For the solitary witch Birute, life is a careful balance of herbs and wards, designed to keep the world at bay. That fragile peace is shattered when Khulan, a desperate creature of fire and shadow, collapses on her doorstep, hunted by the hounds of Hell and a cruel master she disobeyed. Sanctuary comes at a price: an alliance of opposing magics and a trust that feels perilous. But the pact they forge against the encroaching darkness ignites a forbidden passion, a connection that could either be their salvation or the very spark that burns their world to ash. For a demon whose body was made a weapon, and a witch who has walled off her heart, love is not a gentle cure. It is the defiant choice of two unapologetic, strong women to reclaim the poisons of their past and forge them into a shared, healing fire.