Ryder learns the truth about his heritage and Charles Monk's mysterious Order of the Sacred Blood - and what he must do to stop the Dantons from rising to power. After discovering that a Daemon hive queen still lives beneath their city, Monk and Ryder enter the catacombs to exterminate the queen and her brood - but when Ryder takes the fight to Rebecca Danton, he learns of a terrible secret that will shed new light on the mystery of his murdered brother. MATURE THEMES