Some secrets can shatter an empire...
Others can shatter a heart.
Her magic is broken, her empire lies in ruins, but the man leading her to safety poses the greatest danger of all.
When the Empire of Aurelia falls, Melora Aurelius is left with an impossible task: get her brother, the last heir of Aurelia, to safety.
Hunted across enemy territory, the siblings are desperate, defenseless, and alone. With nowhere else to turn, Melora strikes a dangerous bargain with Oran Rhodes, a notorious mercenary with blood on his hands and secrets lurking beneath his skin.
Their journey through Argentum is brutal. Ancient magic stirs, monsters haunt the wilds, and Oran himself becomes impossible to ignore—a man as ruthless as he is magnetic, and whose past is dark and tangled.
But attraction is a dangerous thing in a world built on betrayal.
Because Oran Rhodes is not who he seems to be.
And when Melora uncovers the truth about the man she’s falling for, it threatens to destroy not only their mission—but everything she thought she knew about her empire, her bloodline, and herself.