More than a century after the tragedy of Helene's death and before Ella found Kale bruised and broken on her doorstep, Kale moved through the world in a haze of personal punishment allowing it to consume him. Until his friend, Detective Deacon, a newly infected Chory calls on him for a favor. In this prequel to the Few Are Angels series, Kale is thrown into a world of human blood trafficking and is introduced to a Chory that offers him a chance at happiness- in blood.