In a world where power is traded in whispers and lives are bartered like coin, no secret remains buried forever... Widowed and controlled by a ruthless father, Lady Judith Darby vows never again to be used as a pawn. But when the Arbiter returns to collect on long-buried debts, she becomes the prize in a deadly game. Alexander Montgomery, Duke of Westwood, has mastered control-until Judith shatters it. Drawn to her strength and fire, he offers her something no man ever has: a choice. But secrets have teeth. As brutal murders resume and a killer long thought gone returns, Judith must face a chilling truth- someone close to her is not who he seems. And in the Arbiter's game, the cost of freedom is everything.