Kane, the empire's celebrated beast handler, believes he has broken Nox, a feared dragon of midnight scales, by placing an enchanted restraint upon him. Before dawn, Nox wears a man's body and returns the bond to Kane's own neck. Each pulse of their linked circlets steals Kane's humanity and gives Nox more of it. As Kane uncovers the trap behind their first meeting, desire and resentment force them to decide who will rule, who will betray, and what they are willing to become.
