Duty and desire collide in this highly anticipated second installment—a dangerous, pulse-pounding romantasy packed with searing tension, brutal twists, and relentless momentum.They’ve taken Zurdonia’s queen.After surviving multiple assassination attempts, orphan-turned-queen Elena Markova is kidnapped—cut off from her kingdom and left to unravel who orchestrated the attacks and why. Trapped in enemy hands, Elena clings to one fragile truth: the man she was forced to leave behind is still alive… and he will come for her.Alexei Novak burns for vengeance.They stole his queen and ignited a war he intends to finish. With more fury than answers, Alexei will tear through foreign lands and enemy strongholds to find Elena, destroy those responsible, and reclaim what is his—no matter the cost. But as a force capable of erasing the Markova bloodline rises, everything begins to fracture. Between fate’s forged weapon, the assassin who took his queen, and the razor-thin line between duty and desire, Alexei must decide how much of himself he’s willing to sacrifice to save her—before time runs out.