For years, the city’s orphanages have taken in demi-human creatures that no one wants for long. Some are docile; others simply learn how to pretend. Lila Whipwell was never either of those.

Rebellious, troublesome, and painfully self-aware, she passed through temporary homes leaving the same impression behind every time: too wild, too proud, impossible to domesticate. When she is returned for the third time in just a few months, she loses what little she had left. No room. No personal belongings. No desire to please anyone.

It is at that point that you appears. Not as a savior, not as an ideal owner—just the last option left.