FOR HER REIGN

They call her the Lifeless Queen. Crowned at seventeen, Empress Priscilla of Calmaria rules with a heart carved from stone and a hand that never trembles. Fear, not love, holds her empire together-and she has no intention of ever showing weakness.

But even gods demand worship.
And her most loyal worshiper is Lucas Darcy, Calmaria's greatest knight. A commoner who rose through blood and battle, he kneels only to her. For the woman who owns his soul, he swore his sword, body, and soul to the Empress who chose him. To the world, he is her blade. To himself, she is his goddess-the only reason he breathes. Lucas will endure pain, humiliation, even death. He is her sword, her shadow, her dog.

But in a world where love is weakness and devotion can be fatal, loyalty is never simple. Lucas is willing to suffer, bleed, and die for a woman who may never return his love. And Priscilla, bound by her throne and her pride, must face the one truth she has always denied: that even the coldest heart can burn.

A story of power and passion, cruelty and devotion-where love itself may be the greatest betrayal. Priscilla must face the one thing she cannot control: a knight's love that could either save her empire... or destroy it.