After a tragic and terrifying incident when she was fourteen, Jocasta vowed to hide what she was capable of and never take a life again. Instead, she’s carved out a normal life for herself – well, as normal as she can get with a name like Jocasta, and being the one and only child of Death himself. In her fourth year at Beecher University, a rare magical dead zone not far from Salem, Jo keeps her fatal magic at bay with sips of people’s depression, anguish, and bitterness – all tiny deaths on their own. But Jo is lonely. She feels guilty about using her friends to feed, especially when she’s feeding on a certain friend’s frequent disappointments. And then there’s Carter, the smart and sexy – and very human – guy she was (is) half in love with. Whatever it is between them keeps flaring up and turning physical despite their efforts to just be friends. In short, it’s messy, but safe. Or it was. When Devon, a fellow descendent of an Old One, shows up, things get a lot more complicated. He swiftly targets a friend of hers, and, when Jo intervenes, he seems . . . amused? Death has just announced Jo as his successor, and various challengers are about to come out of the woodwork – and Devon is actually here to form an alliance. When one of Jo’s friends is killed under suspicious circumstances, it’s clearly the first strike of many from those who aren’t happy with her new inheritance. Now Jo must clear her name with the Beecher city police, while also trying to battle every grudge, every desire for allegiance, and every pissing contest levelled at Death by any descendants wanting to prove themselves. Her safe bubble is about to burst – but Jo will do anything to claim what’s rightfully hers. Even if it means enlisting Devon’s help.
