Princess Lyarris Deveras never expected to marry for love…but she certainly didn’t expect to marry a man whose first wife died for treason and adultery. When political necessity demands an alliance between Sirlende and the rival empire of Keshiaar, Lyarris finds herself wed to Hierarch Beshalim Kel-Alisaad, a man haunted by betrayal.
Besh is everything a husband should be — intelligent, honorable, devastatingly handsome. Yet he keeps Lyarris at arm’s length, treating her with cool courtesy while his eyes burn with carefully controlled desire. When she discovers the tragic truth behind his first wife’s execution and meets the amber-eyed child who may not be his daughter, Lyarris understands the walls around his heart.
But Chancellor Tel-Karinoor seems determined to keep them apart, and assassination attempts in the desert reveal enemies within the palace. As Lyarris uses her gift for storytelling to breach Besh’s defenses, she uncovers a web of deception that threatens not just their marriage, but the throne itself.
In a land where love can be deadly and trust is a luxury few can afford, will Lyarris’s courage be enough to heal a broken man’s heart — or will the sins of the past destroy their chance at happiness?