In the cursed Kingdom of Aragoa, the punishment for magic is death. Viola Sinclair has managed to hide the deadly shadow magic in her blood for seventeen years, but when her secret is finally discovered, the queen dispatches her personal assassin. The Huntsman is given a cursed tattoo of a seven-thorned rose—one thorn for each day he has to hunt Viola down and kill her. If he fails, he will be the one to die. But the Huntsman isn't just an assassin. He is Roze Roquelart, an entitled prince, an arrogant fellow student, and the one person Viola hates more than anyone else. Roze should revel in the chance to end her life, but he desperately needs something from Viola and her magic. Willing to spare her life—and fake their engagement—to get it, the two are forced to work together. With only seven days to save themselves, Viola and Roze must contend with deadly threats, dangerous secrets, and an impossible attraction that could destroy them both.