In the shadows of the forest, two shape-shifting kitsune prowl: Kuro, content with the solitude of the mountains, and his only ally Jaden, a demon with dark dreams for their future.

When a figure from Kuro’s past snaps a photograph of the demon fox, the kitsune are forced to leave their home behind and follow him to Asheville in a bid to prevent its publication.

But trouble has a way of accumulating around Kuro. When police secretary Caroline Lahey sees the kitsune from the top of her barn, she doesn’t hesitate to shoot. Captured, Kuro knows that killing her is his only chance at freedom…but it would also turn him into something he’s not, something that repels and disgusts him.

Someone like Jaden.

As Jaden tries to pull Kuro further into his world of violence, Kuro realizes he can no longer stomach the thought of bloodshed, but neither can he bring himself to reveal everything to Caroline. Forced to rely on her soul for his survival, his life becomes a precarious balancing act of hiding her existence from Jaden…and hiding Jaden’s violence from Caroline.

Soon, Kuro finds himself trapped by his own lies, and when his balancing act fails, Jaden knows that Kuro will do anything to protect the woman he’s fallen in love with.

Even, at last, kill.

A Black and Solemn Silence is a slowburn, paranormal, enemies-to-lovers romance and the first book in the adult urban fantasy Color by Numbers series. It includes adult themes and ends on a cliff-hanger. The Color by Numbers series is perfect for grown-up readers of the Gumiho duology and The Red Winter trilogy; content advisories are available on the copyright page.