Emma and her cousins (Gretchen and Penelope) are daughters of high dukes. Everything starts to fall apart at a ball when Emma finds a girl who broke her collarbone. When Emma runs to find help she runs into Cormac. Cormac and Emma had a slight relationship but then Cormac decided to leave. Cormac stops her from running to the ballroom because it had started on fire. Then together they help the girl outside. Emma meets up with her cousins and helps to put the fire out. When everything is under control, Emma goes to find a doctor. When she gets back to the girl, Emma finds her dead. There were all sorts of bruises all over her body. Cormac appears and pushes Emma into some bushes because she can't be found with the body. When Emma leaves, a friend of Cormac's comes and sees the body. He is a Keeper like Cormac. He recognizes the bruises. It is a blood curse. He can track the person who killed the girl. When he starts to track, the trail goes into the bushes where Cormac had pushed Emma into.