Bound by magic. Hunted by danger. One kiss away from destruction.Vella Knight knows two things: one, Ellaine-the witch who raised her and rules the Council with a spiked iron wand-is pure evil. And two, if Vella wants to save her sister, she'd better hide her secrets, train hard in her newfound magic, and find an ancient set of bone runes before Ellaine does.And Vella isn't the only one on the hunt.Enter Matthias Medea: enemy-with-benefits turned emotionally-complicated-ally. Vella walked away from him weeks ago, but now he's back-stuck to her side like magical duct tape. His excuse? He needs the runes to recover his coven's stolen grimoires and end Ellaine's reign. The other reason? His dangerously unstable power is bonded to Vella's, and if Ellaine finds out, she'll obliterate them both.Now, the two must fake indifference while following an international hunt for clues to the lost runes, dodging enemies, and trying not to explode-literally. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to pretend their bond is just magical.As their attachment deepens, the stakes skyrocket. If Vella can't harness her bone magic, if she and Matthias can't stabilize their connection, if their secrets are discovered, Ellaine might get her hands on the runes. And trust Vella on this: that woman can never be allowed near ultimate power.Love. Lies. Explosive magic. And two witches who will burn it all down to save the people they love.Author note:For the wellbeing of my readers, I'd like to advise of the following elements contained in the story: parental death (off page but recalled), graphic violence, blackmail, murder, poisoning, manipulation, forced compound living (mentioned), family violence, genocide (referred to), zombies, gore, death, theft, experimentation (Elixir potions), explicit sex scenes and mature language