Silas, a frail serpent-blooded youth, sneaks into Dragonridge Academy with forged documents and an illusion spell, living under the guise of a dragon-blood student to survive. By chance, he forms a mate bond with Rowan, heir to the Drake bloodline, and bears his dragon egg. Convinced Rowan harbors deep prejudice against serpentkind, the overwhelmed and terrified Silas flees the academy overnight.Rowan has long suspected Silas is hiding a secret and searches relentlessly for his vanished beloved. The unbroken mate bond inflicts painful backlash on him, so he devises a ploy to reunite with Silas. After all misunderstandings unravel, Silas realizes Rowan’s resentment never targets him—it is the bigotry and schemes between their bloodlines that Rowan detests, for Silas is the only one he has ever loved.Letting go of all barriers, the two lay their hearts bare to each other and stay together despite the ancient rift between dragons and serpents. They welcome Aiden, their child who carries both dragon and serpent blood. At last, Silas no longer needs to hide, finding a peaceful, whole home he never dared to hope for.
