A deadly bluff. A sweet betrayal. A secret that changes everything.
Ember Styles just wanted to survive her senior year in Sydney. As a hidden Elemental Guardian, "peace" is a dangerous illusion, but she’s determined to keep her two worlds from colliding. That is, until a covert mission into the Shadow Kingdom goes sideways. She didn't mean to be seen, and she certainly didn't mean for a handsome stranger to pick up the map she left behind.
Caleb Alaric isn’t a prince in waiting—he’s a powerhouse pawn, a weapon forged by his kingdom to be deadly. Exhausted by a life of violence, he flees to Earth for a taste of freedom. When he recognizes Ember at his new high school, he realizes she is the only person who can expose him.
To protect his cover, Caleb plays a ruthless hand. He threatens to put a bounty on her head, claiming she’s a Guardian just to see if the lie will stick. He has no idea he’s accidentally stumbled onto her deadliest reality.
Forced to befriend her own blackmailer, Ember finds herself drawn to the boy behind the threats. But as the friction between them turns magnetic, the game changes. Caleb was built to be a weapon, but as the shadows of their pasts close in, he realizes he can’t stand to lose the one girl he was supposed to break.
Knowing he was from the enemy's kingdom, she befriended him to a slight dismay she may actually fall for him.
In a world of shifting loyalties, the most dangerous thing isn't the price on her head—it’s the lengths he'll go to keep her.

To  those who dare to dream beyond boundaries, 


who embrace adventure in the face of uncertainty. 


May you always find your own light, even in the darkest shadows.


DEDICATION