Prince Chris spent eight years at war, fighting for a crown he never truly wanted. When he finally returns home, nothing is as he left it. The woman he once loved has been sentenced to death. And he discovers a daughter he never knew existed. Zoe is young, powerful, and her abilities are impossible to hide. Queen Maggie's iron grip tightens around the kingdom. She will kill anyone who threatens her rule—including Chris's family. Now Chris must make an impossible choice: the crown he was born to wear, or the family he was never meant to have. If he chooses the throne, Zoe and her mother die. If he chooses them, he becomes a traitor to his own blood. Bound by fire, duty, and love, Chris will risk everything to save them. But in a kingdom ruled by a tyrant, some choices leave only ashes.
