Kaia makes her living stealing from people who deserve it and freeing creatures the world insists on calling monsters. Her targets are wealthy collectors who cage shadowkind beneath brutal lights, line their prisons with silver and iron, and treat living beings like trophies. She has survived years of illegal rescues by working alone, hiding her identity, and never letting anyone get close enough to become collateral damage. Then one break-in goes spectacularly wrong. Behind a collector's private curtain, Kaia finds three powerful shadowkind prisoners unlike any she has freed before: Zev, a dangerously charming incubus; Niko, a curious devourer with a frightening past; and Draven, a winged warrior whose protective instincts are as intense as his temper. Freeing them should have ended the job. Instead, they follow her home with a problem that drags Kaia straight into a larger conspiracy. Another member of their group has vanished, hunters are operating with professional precision, and someone named Raventon appears to know far too much about capturing higher shadowkind. Kaia's secret crusade, her home, and even the friends who know nothing about her nighttime life are suddenly at risk. The closer she gets to Zev, Niko, and Draven, the harder it becomes to pretend their alliance is only practical. Desire is growing alongside trust, and every rescue raises the stakes. Kaia has always been the thief who opens cages. This time, finding the missing shadowkind may require stealing answers from enemies already hunting her back.
Kaia makes her living stealing from people who deserve it and freeing creatures the world insists on calling monsters. Her targets are wealthy collectors who cage shadowkind beneath brutal lights, line their prisons with silver and iron, and treat living beings like trophies. She has survived yea...