One mask. Two faces. One obsession that was never supposed to survive.

Veylan Rook, 32, is the man behind The Hollow, Blackwater’s most feared serial killer. Standing 6’3” with messy black hair, nearly black eyes, a muscular, tattooed body, and a dangerously attractive face, Veylan wears two disguises: the cracked ivory Ghostface mask he kills behind and the charming, seductive smile he wears in public.

Sarcastic, calculating, possessive, and wickedly intelligent, Veylan doesn’t kill for justice or necessity. He kills because he enjoys the hunt, the fear, and the control. Remorse is foreign to him, and affection has never made him merciful.

Then came the woman who fought back.

She was supposed to be another victim. Instead, her unexpected resistance awakened something far more complicated than his usual appetite for violence. He let her escape, fascinated by the prey that refused to surrender.

Now Veylan wants to know her without the mask.

He enters her life as a dangerously charming stranger, allowing her to believe their attraction is accidental and their encounters are entirely her choice. She doesn’t know he’s the monster she escaped—or that he’s been directing far more of their story than she realizes.

He wants her laughter, her desire, her trust, and perhaps eventually her love. But beneath his fascination remains the same ruthless predator who originally chose her to die.

Veylan hasn’t decided whether he wants to keep his Little Mouse forever or destroy the one thing he can’t fully control.

And the most terrifying part?

He doesn’t intend to stop being The Hollow for either outcome.