To save her soul, she must become a monster.For two years, widow Emma Taybet has been a recluse in her decaying manor, haunted by the secret of how her husband truly died. Her lonely penance is shattered by the arrival of a handsome and terrifying stranger who knows everything . He presents her with an impossible choice: accept a demonic pact to collect nine souls in seven days, or suffer an eternity as a broodmare birthing unimaginable horror.Armed with a cursed dagger that traps the souls of its victims, Emma is forced to hunt in the gaslit streets of Blackmere. As the town descends into paranoia and fear, and the local constable's suspicions grow, Emma must decide who deserves to die. But with each life she takes, the line between damnation and salvation becomes harder to see, and she is forced to confront the chilling darkness awakening within herself.Forced to become an unwilling assassin, each victim brings her closer to freedom, but also deeper into a darkness of her own making. Can she complete the collection before time runs out, or will the price of her survival be her own humanity?