Built in blood bound by loyalty

In a post-apocalyptic world overrun by fast, dangerous infected creatures, Mercedes Cole-a brilliant, wealthy-born genius engineer and elite fighter-survives using advanced weapons, gadgets, and access to hidden underground safe houses built for her powerful family across every state.

While searching for her missing parents and five brothers, she finds a lost little girl named Nova who has been separated from her own family. Mercedes reluctantly takes her in, and over three years raises her, teaching her how to fight, survive, and build technology, turning Nova into a capable survivor.

When Nova eventually goes out scavenging alone, she unexpectedly reunites with her biological family-leaders of a survivor group-and also encounters Mercedes's older brother, who doesn't trust Mercedes and views her as dangerous. Tension grows between them as mistrust slowly shifts into deeper emotional conflict, especially as complicated feelings begin to surface, even though his life is already tied to someone else.

The story follows survival, loyalty, family bonds, and emotional conflict in a world where trust can be as dangerous as the infected.