Convergence (The Soulbound, #1)

Only the worthy will rise.

In the underground city of the Burrows, every eighteen-year-old faces the Convergence—a sacred ceremony where ancient, magical animals called Auryths choose who is worthy of power and a lifebond with them … and who is not.

Today, Lennon Benfield’s fate is sealed. She will either emerge from the ceremony bonded and given the gift of magic or be exiled to Earth’s toxic surface to die.

Slade Whitlow was exiled two years ago after being deemed unworthy by the Auryths. When he arrived on the surface, he expected to meet death. But instead, he finds Solis. Now, he leads those left to die, protecting them from the dangers prowling the surface and the lies that drove them there.

Lennon believes every life is worthy. But Slade has seen what happens when that belief gets people killed. As secrets rise and impossible choices close in, the greatest threat may not be above or below—but within.