Book excerpt: When one is fated for death from the moment of birth, it can make life... difficult. Karmakat is a black lion, a death sentence in itself, because it means there is a demon sharing his soul. A monk passing through rescues the infant and magically seals the demon. Spending their lives training together, the young lion follows in his master's footsteps - until the master's death at the hands of a vicious demon. Striking out on his own, following what he believes to be his destiny, he fights the demons alone. Protecting others as his master protected him. One day he rescues a model - a playboy wolf named Lukwos - who befriends the lone fighter. Teaming up, the pair travel a dangerous road as the demons they fight become more vicious and abundant every day. Lukwos encourages Karmakat to find a life beyond demon fighting, beyond the solitary existence he has known since the master's death. Can he bring himself to put another life in danger, fighting the darkness and what lurks behind it?