With the exposure of well-kept secrets and the tough resolve of one betrayed Vampire warrior, a centuries-long struggle between vicious predators has reached new heights of fierceness. But it's one Immortal's insatiable lust for power that leads to disturbing new disclosures about the origins of the feud between the Vampires and the Lycans. The past just got very twisted, and the future may reveal an entirely new breed, the likes of which no one has ever seen. Hunted vampire Selene seeks out Marcus, king of the Vampires, in the hope of bargaining for her life. Hybrid Michael wants to join Selene in her quest but is unable to trust the werewolf raging uncontrolled inside him, and she refuses his companionship. Their love proves more powerful than genetics, however, when Marcus descends upon Selene, intent on annihilating her. In the battle that ensues, Selene discovers that she has been betrayed by her own family she sets out to seek her revenge. Selene seeks out Adrian Tanis, official Historian of the Covens, for help unraveling the web of lies spun by Marcus and Viktor in their battle for supremacy. Intrigue deepens when Tanis reveals the identity of the first true Immortal: neither Marcus nor Viktor, as was believed, but Alexander Corvinus, father to Marcus and this twin brother, William. Corvinus, like an omnipresent god on the fringes, has been tracking everyone's movements and cleaning up after their wars, intent on keeping his descendents confined to the shadows of human society. Side by side, Selene and Michael battle the horrifically strong and determined Marcus, who is determined to release his imprisoned brother William from captivity and use his bloodlust to achieve world domination. Each confrontation unearths new revelations, casting a harsh light upon previous events and cutting through the darkness of painful memories buried deep within.