Demented, greedy, and perverse--Invictus will stop at nothing, not even an unspeakable act of sorcery, to merge his sister's power with his. Jim Melvin's acclaimed adult fantasy series, the Death Wizard Chronicles, takes a dark turn into the tormented world of Laylah, a captive sorceress who is subjected to her brother's cruel control. For more than seventy years, the most powerful sorcerer in the world has held his own sister prisoner in a magical tower--forcing her to be his "queen." Even the immense power Laylah draws from moonlight does not give her the strength to free herself . . . until she forms an unlikely alliance with two of the sorcerer's most trusted soldiers as well as an ancient demon with diabolical motives. Laylah's dramatic escape leads her to the one man who might be able to save her--Torg, the Death-Knower wizard. Drawn together by supernatural passion, the pair attempts to outrun Invictus' minions and reach the safety of the White City.