Khalani is a Prisoner

Takeshi is a Guard

Both are slaves to the Underground

Khalani Kanes has never stood on the surface of the earth. In the underground city of Apollo,

faith and dreams are as absent as the sun. She longed to visit Genesis, the infamous Domed

City and the final place where humanity lives aboveground. But when Khalani is given a life

sentence and thrown into prison for a theft she didn't commit, those wishes shatter into oblivion.

In Braderhelm Prison, murderers are neighbors, ruthless and cold-blooded guards live to

punish, and every second is a battle to survive. She thought the danger lay in befriending

criminals and avoiding Takeshi Steele, the nefarious Captain who runs her cell block. But darker

traps and secrets await her within the shadows of imprisonment. Khalani's blood will coat the

walls in flaming silk before her enemies let her escape to the surface, a feat no one has

successfully achieved. If the reclusive and callous Takeshi Steele won't kill Khalani, then the

merciless prisoners and her fractured mind will.

Enter Braderhelm Prison, where only the Wicked remain.

Khalani Kanes never imagined surviving Braderhelm Prison, let alone escaping to the desolate surface they had been told was uninhabitable. Haunted by the Governor of Apollo's dark secrets, Khalani and her crew of criminals embark on a new perilous journey.

Now, the true test begins as Khalani ventures through the treacherous Death-Zone toward the nearest underground city, Hermes. Abandoned relics of a once-great nation are not the only threats on the barren road. Violent storms sweep across the Death-Zone, the deadly Takeshi Steele has resumed his cold detachment, and unsettling signs suggest they might not be alone on the surface.

To survive in this unforgiving world, Khalani must draw on her strength and harrowing experiences from Braderhelm. For a new kind of prison awaits in the corrupt city of Hermes-one where she finds herself trapped with the man who aggravates her the most. But this time, they'll likely perish before escaping alive.