Winter has descended on Hawthorne Hollow like a chilly blanket, and all Scout Randall wants to do with her days is snuggle in bed with her gas station chicken and wait for spring to arrive. Nothing in her life ever goes the way she planned, however. There are gods afoot, as if Scout didn’t have enough to deal with. The Nordic goddess Skadi is in town, and she has something specific on her mind. With the new lamia apex down for the count—whether she’ll survive her ultimate transition, nobody can say—Scout thinks she has some breathing room to get to know the family that’s only recently come to town. Instead, she’s got a god to deal with, and Skadi means business. Scout’s magic is ever-evolving but is she strong enough to face a god? When another god arrives hellbent on fighting it out with the first god, Scout thinks things can’t get worse. She’s wrong. Things can always get worse. A god fight is not what Scout was anticipating it. It’s upon her, though. Worse, it seems one of the gods might be partnering with the lamia apex with domination on their minds. What does that mean? An end for them all. Scout has been reticent about facing her new reality. She’s out of time, though. She either has to agree to take on the mantle of the pixie apex, or Hawthorne Hollow—and ultimately the world—will fall into ruin. It’s time for a war. Is Scout ready?
The big day has arrived. Hali Waverly is finally getting the surgery she so desperately needs. Her boyfriend Gray Hunter is determined to be by her side for it. She thinks she’s ready for it. Is she, though? The surgery itself goes off without a hitch. Hali’s recovery is another story. Ceding control of her beloved tiki bar to her brother and her boyfriend’s brother only amps up her anxiety. Things get worse when a storm hits, and it’s of the magical variety instead of the natural. When a body is found in the aftermath, things are bad. Things get worse when the body is identified as belonging to a local pack member, and the last person seen with the woman is Gray’s mother. Helene, of course, denies being up to anything nefarious. Unfortunately for her, Hali is in on her big secret, and it’s time to share it. Hali thought the hardest thing in the world would be the surgery. She was wrong. Now she has to tell the man she loves about his mother’s betrayal and keep him from cutting his parents out of his life forever because of it. It’s not just the pack closing in, though. The dark merrow are also making their move. Hali’s small sliver of beach is about to become very crowded. Even though this is the exact worst time for a war, Hali finds herself embroiled in one. One side will fall forever. Hali wants to be on the winning team because if she’s not, they’ll all die. The big battle is here.