Born without the mark of a Rider, Elara is a 'Dud' in a kingdom of dragon-riding nobility. Everything changes when she finds a dying dragon-shifter in the forbidden wastes—a beast who hasn't just chosen her as his rider, but as his queen.

In a city where humans broker uneasy truces with dragon shifters, diplomat and scientist Raya Chen is assigned to decode destabilizing eruptions. Her counterpart: Kael Ardent, the scarred emissary whose dragon fire saved the capital but cost him his clan. Political sabotage sparks riots, forcing Raya to anchor Kael’s smoldering rage with late-night lab experiments and rooftop flights that melt the skyline. To prevent war, they must fuse logic and fire—and decide if love is the ultimate peace treaty.

Born without the mark of a Rider, Elara is a 'Dud' in a kingdom of dragon-riding nobility. Everything changes when she finds a dying dragon-shifter in the forbidden wastes—a beast who hasn't just chosen her as his rider, but as his queen.

In a city where humans broker uneasy truces with dragon shifters, diplomat and scientist Raya Chen is assigned to decode destabilizing eruptions. Her counterpart: Kael Ardent, the scarred emissary whose dragon fire saved the capital but cost him his clan. Political sabotage sparks riots, forcing Raya to anchor Kael’s smoldering rage with late-night lab experiments and rooftop flights that melt the skyline. To prevent war, they must fuse logic and fire—and decide if love is the ultimate peace treaty.