Beast has been lost in the dark for two hundred years... Claire is desperate to prove she belongs in the light... But the shadow of ancient crimes might just swallow them both. Beast has been locked away in his manor for two centuries to pay for the crimes of his past. Haunted by his failures, he is cursed by the fae mage he wronged to spend all of his days lonely and unloved. When a beautiful quester named Claire arrives at the manor, insisting she's there to help him, he's confused-he's not supposed to be helped, after all. But like a moth to a flame he can't stay away, even if he knows he'll only wind up hurting her. Claire is the youngest daughter, the unwanted child. Determined to live her own life, she defies her father's expectations and takes up a life of adventure with the illustrious Questing Guild of Cillure. Right away, she's drawn to a strange quest that has been long-neglected, determined to help in any way she can...assuming she can even figure out what on earth is going on. As she gets closer to the manor's somber inhabitant her professional interest shifts to something more. She's never felt attraction like this to anyone else, but even as she grows certain she'll never be able to live without him she worries what she'll do if she ruins her blooming career and winds up on the streets. CONTENT WARNINGS: suicidal ideation, sexual assault attempt, sexual assault (implied but off page), misogyny, some foul language, explicit sex scenes between a human woman and a non-human man, discussion of depression, depiction of depression, self-harm, anxiety, toxic family dynamics, bullying, death of a parent (not shown). TROPES: virgin MMC, hurt/comfort, MMC with praise kink, dude in distress (FMC saves MMC), forced proximity/isolation, fated mates (lite), dark secret, redemption, age gap (216 vs 26).