Run, run, run as fast as you can—and that is exactly what Selene does when she discovers that the curse set on her family and emirate, destining them to eternal slumber, is solely her fault. But pasts are not so easily left behind.On Selene's eighteenth birthday, her emirate falls to the enchantment and her jilted fiancé, the conniving Lord Gwydion drags her home. While Selene clashes with her fiancé, the ailing Queen of Ghalain summons the emirs to contest for the throne. Each emir has a claim, but the crown holds special meaning for Selene: as queen, she would have the leverage necessary to oblige the Pari to lift the curse.In Ghalain's capital, Selene stumbles into the labyrinthine mire that is court intrigue. When political rivalries threaten to plunge the country into civil war, Selene must fight through magic and malice to emerge victorious. Her family's fate swings in the balance.