A Fatal Hemline

Lila Hemlock is the newest apprentice at The Threaded Veil, a secretive costume shop dedicated to the high-stakes fashion of the Faerie Court. Though she wields no magic, Lila possesses a unique talent: she can touch any fabric and feel the residual emotions woven into the thread—a fabric forensic artist. When a prominent Fae noble from House Lumina is found murdered and their ceremonial gown is strategically destroyed, the Court immediately points the finger at rival House Umbra. Lila, reeling from the killer's intent of Righteous Fury that she extracted from a single, incriminating stitch, knows the truth lies not with a powerful Fae Lord, but with a desk-bound official in the Royal Exchequer. To save her protective mentor, Merrick Vane, who is now framed for the murder, Lila is forced into a clandestine partnership with the devastatingly pragmatic Lord Cassian Shadowbrook—the very noble she's helping to clear. As they race to uncover the clicking signature of the true killer and their hidden life of human vice, Lila must decide if saving her House is worth betraying the one person who ever truly believed in her unique, dangerous gift.