Princess Ilani is an outcast, ignored by her family and the court because of her crippled leg. While her twelve sisters dance and dream of the future, Ilani can only watch in silence and bitter isolation. But when the time comes for their father to choose his heir, it is Ilani whose secrets will haunt their steps, along with a devilishly charming foreigner who seems to know far more than he should.
Lord Kyril Seagrave wishes he had never heard of Caelan. He embarked on a secret mission into the heart of the Caelani Empire, hoping for intrigue and adventure. What he finds is an empire on the brink of catastrophe. Armed with nothing but determination and a set of ill-matched companions, Kyril soon realizes there is far more at stake than his own quest, and one misstep could prove disastrous to everyone he loves.
Words—and sparks—fly when Kyril and Ilani meet and find themselves fighting not only for their lives, but for the future of Caelan itself. Unless these two unlikely allies can prevent the empire from falling into the hands of an old enemy, they could end up on opposite sides of a war.