Starving and six weeks pregnant, Ella learns that the father of her dragon-blooded child is Kane, the Black Dragon King whose lethal dragonfire only her touch can calm. A temporary marriage offers protection, but a stolen royal scale, trafficked children, court prejudice, and a rival princess force Ella to fight for more than survival. By exposing the network that raised her and uncovering her true royal birth, she finally chooses Kane—and a life in which she belongs by her own decision.