She needs a coven. He needs revenge. Neither of them can afford to fall in love.

Viola Marrow is out of options. Passed between covens like a bad inheritance, she’s never been chosen—never truly belonged. Now, with her magic dwindling and her twenty-second birthday looming, there’s only one coven left: The Rooted, a fiercely traditional circle that still lives like it’s the nineteenth century and guards its power with ruthless devotion.

To earn her place, Viola must complete a single trial: retrieve a sacred apple from the coven’s orchard and offer it as tribute.

Simple. Except the orchard is cursed—and its bitterest fruit is him.

Cyrus doesn’t remember his last name, but he remembers why he was cursed. Trapped in the orchard for almost a century, he’s fed by hatred and a single purpose: destroy the witches who ruined him. When Viola trespasses, he sees the perfect pawn—sweet, gullible, and willing to do anything for a place at the witches’ table.

He’ll charm her. Use her. Break her if he must.

But the orchard has a will of its own. And as roots entwine and hearts begin to tangle, Viola and Cyrus must decide: cling to vengeance and duty—or risk everything for love that was never meant to bloom.

Dark magic. Forbidden fruit. One twisted test of loyalty.