Shadows Of Lilac and Steel

Samantha Black just wants to be invisible. An orphan with a mysterious past, found on the darkest night of the year, she's always been an outsider. For years, she's fought to bury the brutal legend of 'The Shade' - the ruthless, shadow-cloaked survivor who carved a path of vengeance through the Lower City's gangs. Now, at twenty-three, with a body scarred by countless battles and a soul desperate for peace, she works two mundane bar jobs, clinging to the quiet, hard-won freedom she found in her run-down apartment.

But peace is a luxury Samantha can't afford.

One biting cold November night, a desperate act of compassion pulls her back into the darkness. She inadvertently saves Elias Thorne, the enigmatic King of Sunderland and leader of the city's ancient Gargoyle clan. Unaware of his true identity, Samantha only sees a bleeding man caught in a gang war. But Elias Thorne never forgets a debt, or the inexplicable surge of shadows that saved his life.

Now, Elias is hunting for her, while his ruthless rivals, thwarted in their bid for power, are hunting her too. And they're not subtle. Girls with lavender hair, innocent humans mimicking Samantha's unique shade as a fashion statement, are turning up dead, tortured, a chilling message meant for the King - and for her.

Dragged into a hidden world of supernatural politics, deadly factions, and ancient beings, Samantha must confront the past she tried to outrun. Her uncanny ability to melt into shadows, a power she barely understands, is both her greatest asset and her most dangerous secret. As she navigates a treacherous landscape of alliances and betrayals, she finds herself becoming a reluctant neutral party for the city's supernatural elite, all while grappling with unexpected romantic attention from powerful men of different species.

But the greatest mystery remains: Who is Samantha Black? And what does her lavender hair truly signify in a world where every secret has a price, and every shadow holds a truth?