Beware the powerless man, my daughter. Do not treat with him. For if you lay him open you will disappear within.

For centuries, the Waster Women of House Est have wielded power that could build thrones or bring them to ruin. Liama was one of them, blessed by an ancient goddess with dominion over flesh and blood and destined to pass that power on to her daughter. Then, ten years ago, that destiny was shattered by meeting the eye of a stranger. Robbed of her memories and her freedom, Liama wakes each dawn as the wife of the Chieftain, a powerless man who wields her violent abilities in order to hold his usurped throne.

When a single touch begins to fracture the power binding her memories, Liama faces an agonizing choice: remain in the gilded cage of her false marriage, where a tenuous agreement keeps her daughter safe, or risk it all on a forgotten alliance that could put a crown on Liama’s head, and a dagger in her daughter’s heart.

In a land where women bear the weight of both salvation and destruction, Liama will rupture ancient bonds and tear the veil between worlds to protect her daughter. But to save the girl from inheriting a legacy of stolen memory and forced submission, Liama will have to shatter the very bones of everything the Wasters have built, remaking their legacy from spilled blood.