A hundred years ago, a witch sold her soul to save her lifebut now she must stop the devil from collecting his due in this gripping and nuanced debut horror novel.

The devil was as my mother and grandmother had always described him: polite enough that you might forget yourself, so beautiful that youd want to, so dangerous if you did.

Attacked by the man she desired and at the brink of death, Tess Wynne vowed she would do anything to liveand the devil heard her. Their bargain meant she would remain ageless and tethered to the land she nearly died on, at the edge of the isolated Appalachian town of Burrsville. Her home is now a wildlife sanctuary, and the spells shes woven keep the land and community safe.

But then Tess rescues an orphaned fawn with unnatural appetites, and her instinct to protect this strange creature puts her at odds with Burrsvilles residents. And when a new pastor comes to town and begins chipping away at the trust shes gained, threatening the sanctuary and its animals, the careful edges of Tesss world begin to fray.

The devil whispers in her ear that he can save the sanctuary if shell just pay his price, and Tess must decide if shell trust in her own magic to save what she lovesor surrender to his will.