Jean-Claude is determined to leverage the focus on these murders to expand his influence in St. Louis, while Richard fears for Anita's safety and the repercussions of their connections to the occult.

Keeping her relationships intact, she enlists the aid of creature-friendly police officers, including Larry Kirkland, who struggles with his own biases against vampires, and Veronica "Ronnie" Sims, who provides technological support.

With tensions boiling over and supernatural forces beginning to take sides, Anita rallies her allies, including Nathaniel Graison, Damian, and Jason Schuyler, to confront the true puppeteers behind the cult.

They discover that the cult is led by the twisted Traveler, who seeks not only ritual sacrifices but also personal vendettas against the existing supernatural order, particularly targeting Jean-Claude and Richard.

The story ends with a reflective moment where she realizes she can’t protect everyone and begins to embrace her duality as a necromancer and vampire hunter, hinting at the complexities of the supernatural world that lay ahead.