Nikha is a bloodcarver. She has the power to alter human biology - to heal or to harm with just a touch. In the industrial city of Theumas, she is seen as a monster that kills for pleasure. But her abilities are prized as well as feared, and the wealthy Congmi siblings want her to heal the only witness to their father's murder. As Nikha delves deeper into the mystery, she begins to uncover secrets of her own dark past. For there is an evil dwelling in Theumas that runs much deeper than the murder of one man, and Nhika must decide where her heart and her allegiance truly lie. But is she prepared to become the dreaded monster the city fears to save herself and secure the future of her kind?