Trust is dangerous. Power is stolen. And Elina Banks is deadly.
Hidden behind the sun-drenched, golden walls of Aladria, Elina Banks is more than a skilled fighter. She’s a secret weapon. Masked and lethal, she’s spent four years fighting in the shadows against enemy soldiers and Malus—reanimated corpses fuelled by dark magic—without anyone knowing who she truly is.
But when her identity is exposed, her carefully constructed world collapses. Thrust into the Aladrian Army’s brutal training program, Elina must fight to survive among ruthless recruits, unforgiving trials, and the growing threat from Dunmere, the shadowed kingdom across the border.
And then there’s Stone Carlisle. Her brooding, infuriating rival with ocean-eyes and secrets as dark as her own. He’s maddening. Magnetic. And he sees straight through her defences. The deeper Elina is pulled toward him, the more of her he unravels.
But as their connection grows, so does a darker power beyond the castle walls.
King Dagan of Dunmere is gathering an army of the Gifted—those marked by the Gods on their thirteenth birthday with powerful, elemental abilities. The more he collects, the stronger his forces grow. And he won’t stop until he conquers Aladria.
As war brews, bonds will be tested, blood will be spilled, and Elina will have to decide just how far she’s willing to go—to protect her kingdom, her heart, and the secrets that could unravel everything.
