"She's a spy!" "A weapon!" "Kill her before she contaminates the altar!" One moment, the sacred Xaryan mating ceremony burns in golden flames. The next-the sky splits open, and a woman crashes into the heart of the ritual. Naked. Smoking. Terrified. The alien warriors raise their spears, ready to strike. Then he speaks. Prince Veyrix Kael-cloaked in shadows, his smoke-grey skin shimmering, his voice a command that silences the crowd-declares her his. "She is mine." By Xaryan law, she is now his claimed mate. A bond forged in fire. A lie that might save her life-or doom them both. But Veyrix isn't protecting her out of mercy. He has secrets. So does she. And in a world of ancient rites, deadly politics, and a prince who burns hotter than the ceremonial flames, the truth could be the most dangerous thing of all. ........................................................... A steamy sci-fi romance where a human woman falls into the arms of an alien prince-literally. Now, bound by fate and survival, they must navigate a court of deception, desire, and deadly consequences. Will their forced bond become their salvation... or their destruction?