Introduction

Every eight years, a carnival appears in the struggling town of Demon Den, promising monstrous thrills to anyone brave enough to remain after sundown.

For Alana, its return feels like an invitation from the happiest night of her childhood—the night her father brought her beneath its dazzling lights and a mysterious boy with brilliant hazel eyes promised to protect her. Now grown and eager to reclaim that memory, she enters the carnival with her best friend, V, expecting elaborate scares, reckless fun, and enough horror to make Halloween unforgettable.

But the blood is real. Terrified guests are dragged into the darkness, the crowds begin to disappear, and even the victims vanish from the memories of those who loved them.

Separated from V and hunted through the carnival grounds, Alana finds herself pursued by a masked stranger whose presence feels inexplicably familiar. Beneath his disguise waits the horned monster she never forgot—and he has spent years waiting for her return.

He would slaughter anyone who threatened her, defy his own kind to keep her safe, and burn the human world before allowing it to take her from him. But loving him means accepting the horrifying truth behind the carnival…and deciding how much of her humanity Alana is willing to sacrifice to remain in the arms of her monster.