In a kingdom where loyalty is bought with blood and rumors spread faster than fire, Lilith Celeste Gloria learns early that survival is all about control. Every smile, every word of flattery, every alliance is calculated.
Then she collides with Cain Alaric Bartolomeo. A man forged by responsibility, by duty, and by war.
They circle each other the way vultures do. Patient. Unblinking.
But vultures are not the only things that circle.
Fire does, too.
Two infernos refusing to bow. A flame that does not warm, but consume. Burning brighter when pressed together, brighter still when forced apart.
What begins as a strategic union becomes something far more dangerous.
Because power recognizes power. And when two flames meet, something must give.
The world around them, or the hands that dare to hold the fire.
As factions rise and secrets rot beneath polished floors, Lilith and Cain must decide what they are willing to sacrifice: reputation, duty, freedom, or... each other.
In a world that devours the weak, love is not a refuge.
It is combustion.