I named you heir, you named me yours

An emperor who refused to rule with blood. A prince who refused to love with restraint.

Elliott Lancaster, descendant of the sun and the gentle Emperor of the Vellurian empire, has spent his life avoiding war- and his father's attempts to force him into a political marriage. After his succession, instead, he adopted an orphaned noble boy, Aiden, raising him as both heir and an unlikely companion. But their bond was never that of father and son. How could it be, when they had less than a decade between them?

Aiden Lancaster, the perfect prince in court and a storm of violence on the battlefield, has waited years to prove himself. He is devoted to his adopted father- some might even say, too devoted. Still, up till now, he was restrained by Elliott's desire for peace, despite their enemies poking them again and again. But Aiden's patience had its limits- but them touching Elliott was the straw which broke the camel's back.

Now unrestrained, he wages a war so brutal it shocks the empire. When Elliott awakens to find borders redrawn in blood, he must confront the terrifying truth: the boy he raised has become a conqueror, and his devotion has twisted into something far more dangerous.

As rival empire schemes and the nobility whispers about their unnatural bond, Elliott faces an impossible choice: maintain his morals and risk losing Aiden or embrace the ruthless love of the man who would burn the world to protect him.