The cost of loving her was always his destiny. Disrel has stolen the keys to the imperial regime's murder machine, but the Pyron sector continues swallowing innocent human life by the thousands. The outside world is just as eager to devour them, with the military executing Pyrons on sight, arresting any who shelter them, and pitting prisoners against each other in deadly arena games in exchange for pardon. As Disrel wrestles impossible odds to keep himself and his sister free of the walls, his identity as the Tourmaline Renegade becomes increasingly difficult to hide from his enemies and the people he loves most. Sable Commander Ambrosia can no longer deny that the masked renegade she hunts is a hero, and she can't convince Disrel-or herself-she loves him while leaving thousands of his people to die of starvation behind the Pyron sector walls. As her emperor demands more from her, she is faced with the choice of following orders or damning herself to a traitor's cross. But as her love for Disrel grows, so does the Tourmaline Renegade's ability to see all her secrets, making him the most dangerous opponent she has ever faced. As the Pyron people's situation turns dire, Disrel and Ambrosia must decide if their lives are worth risking for a future neither of them can see, or if the price of freedom requires betrayal, despair, and their blood on each other's hands.