Elliot Gray has been in love with his best friend for a decade. That secret might have stayed buried forever—if Helen Vaughn hadn't come to town.

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She arrives in Orchard Grove promising what the town's elite crave most: more time, more beauty, more life. They worship her for it. But Elliot sees through her blessed trap. Helen isn't here for the town.

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She's here for him.

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Something about his blood. Something about Orchard Grove's accursed past. Something that's been waiting inside him, coiled and sly, speaking in a voice that sounds almost like his own—almost, but not quite. And the more Helen tightens her grip, the louder that voice becomes, whispering things that are dark and violent and ruthless.

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When residents who question Helen start vanishing, Elliot and Ethan's investigation tears down every wall they've built between them. They finally surrender to what they've always wanted—and in doing so, hand their enemies the only weapon that matters. Because Helen doesn't just want what's inside Elliot, she wants his willing surrender.

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And the thing growing inside him? It wants something else entirely.