"I wanted to learn. I wanted to learn about the long line of heroes who battled sinister and shadowy forces. Then again, it was more than that-perhaps I was even more curious about the monsters." When Maria comes across an old, leather-bound book titled Demons and Dark Essences, she doesn't know if she's more intrigued by the book or its handsome owner. As she studies, she learns of a dark plot to bring forth Luctus-the summoning of an army of monsters into the world-but she also learns how she might be able to stop it. Meanwhile, the man who teaches her quickly captures her heart, stirring deeper emotion than she has ever known before, and Maria finds herself confronting new dangers in her efforts to win his affection and prevent the arrival of Luctus... DDE: Luctus is the first in a planned trilogy.