He was ordered to turn her into a weapon. Instead, he became the only man willing to stand between her and the Crown.

Thalinna has spent her life hiding the silver Aether-scars beneath her skin. Now the Crown knows what she is.

Captured, classified as military property, and dragged to a fortified camp on the edge of the borderlands, she is given one purpose: destroy the kingdom's enemies before her volatile magic destroys her first. To survive, she must resist every command, especially those issued by the ruthless general assigned to break her.

Roderick Graves is the Iron General, a commander feared for his discipline, brutality, and unwavering loyalty to victory. He expects Thalinna to be another dangerous asset under his control. Instead, he finds a furious woman whose power surges beneath every restraint, threatening to consume her from within.

And somehow, his touch is the only thing that can bring her back.

Every time Roderick grounds her magic, the distance between captor and captive fractures. Every order he bends to protect her draws the attention of high command. With rival officers watching and a deadly demonstration approaching, Thalinna must decide whether the man holding her leash might also be the only one capable of helping her break it.

Roderick was commanded to weaponize her.

To save her, he may have to betray the Crown, sacrifice his command, and become the traitor his enemies already believe him to be.

Because in a kingdom built on obedience, loving the Crown's most powerful weapon may be the deadliest act of rebellion.

A dark, romance-first romantasy featuring a captured magic-bearer, a feared war general, forced proximity, enemy protector tension, forbidden attraction, dangerous magic, and a brutal hero who falls first.