Alexander Hunt holds onto two secrets: both could ruin his life, but one could end it.
The sudden move from Calgary, Alberta to the outskirts of Jasper during his senior year leaves Alex isolated in a cabin with bickering parents. He copes by taking daily hikes along the shores of Maligne Lake until he meets a young man named Amulii. He’s huge, unkempt, and speaks broken English, but there’s something else uncanny about him Alex can’t quite place.
What starts as a frightening first encounter escalates the moment Amulii gives Alex a strange gift and reveals there’s something much wilder about him than meets the eye. Unbeknownst to Alex, this sets off a series of devastating events that sends both of them fleeing from an aggressive, well-armed militia in the forest.
As Amulii and Alex escape into the mountains, their bond strengthens as they learn from one another, and what was once distrust evolves into something much deeper. Despite that, there are only two questions burning Alex’s waking thoughts as they traverse the harsh wilds of western Alberta, waiting for salvation: will he be caught and killed, or will he lose the rest of his humanity to Amulii’s mistake?
After years of abuse in a loveless relationship, Leo Grayson secretly packs up his life and heads west to Varcross, Oregon. But there’s a problem: Varcross doesn’t exist—well, not in Oregon.
Strange lights over the highway send Leo careening into an impossible realm with no way to escape. While struggling to cope with being the only human in a cursed and derelict town, he finds love and companionship with the very monsters who may one day lose control and spread their affliction to him.
To make matters worse, Leo’s arrival catches the attention of a manipulative, magic-wielding demon who wants to use the human to somehow destroy the wards keeping Varcross sealed away.
As time runs out for Leo and his new friends, he must either abandon those who sacrificed to keep him safe, or face down a powerful and desperate malevolence he cannot possibly win against alone.