He thought he had to choose between duty and desire. But what if he could have both? In an alternate Victorian London where magic reigns supreme, Duke Evander Ravenwood hides a dangerous secret—he is an Archmage of unparalleled power. When a brutal murder throws him into the path of Viggo Stonewall, the notorious leader of the underground information guild Nightshade , Evander's carefully constructed world begins to unravel. Forced into an unlikely alliance, Evander and Viggo find themselves drawn into a web of conspiracy that threatens the very fabric of their society. With tensions rising between the magical elite and the oppressed thralls, they must navigate a treacherous landscape of politics, prejudice, and forbidden desire to find a common enemy. But in a world where magic divides the haves from the have-nots, their growing attraction could be their greatest weakness—or their most powerful weapon. Can Evander and Viggo's burgeoning relationship withstand the storms to come? Or will the shadows of the past and the dangers of the present tear them apart? Contains mature themes.