To save her father, Ceryn reveals she's the only fertile maiden in the kingdom and offers the king an heir. Being only a peasant, her claims capture the king's fascination and the kingdom's outrage. *** Ceryn's quiet life shatters when her father is sentenced to death. Desperate to save him, she sneaks into the palace and exposes a secret she planned on taking to the grave: She's the only fertile maiden in the land, capable of bearing the king's heir. With war looming, King Varkon already has enough on his plate. A calculating, level-headed ruler, he knows reckless moves could threaten his throne. Yet something about the peasant girl ignites his blood and makes him risk it all by claiming her. Their bloodlines are oil and water: a powerful king with an ancient ancestry, and a peasant with secrets that could ruin the kingdom. Their union exists only to produce an heir. Romance was never part of the bargain, yet every stolen glance and heated touch forces them to tread a razor's edge of duty and temptation. Their attraction threatens to shatter the kingdom's fragile balance. And with enemies circling and betrayal whispering through every hall, their union could either forge a new dynasty - or doom the realm forever. *** "My entire body tingles with the maddening need to pleasure and protect her. I am a king for Kryndor. But for her? I am a beast. There are no politics, bureaucracy, or rules when it comes to her. Only primal instinct."