Love, deception, and intrigue.... This is what awaits Elaina Ingleman when her alluring sister Emona is rescued by a son of one of the Noble Houses of Alionia. Through a convoluted tale of false heroics, the smitten nobleman is offered Emona's hand in marriage and willingly accepts. But joy soon turns to despair when weeks before the wedding, Emona refuses to marry her powerful suitor, leaving Elaina entangled in an inescapable marriage arrangement. Resigning herself to her fate, Elaina intends to make the best of her predicament. Fate, however, has other plans, when Rone Mosenvelt, a handsome warrior, threatens her impending nuptials. Upon Rone's arrival, mysterious powers, and passionate feelings begin to awaken within her. Struggling between her duty to her family and the feelings in her heart, Elaina must find the courage to cultivate her new gifts while dealing with the pressures of Noble society. When a threat to the kingdom surfaces, Elaina and Rone find themselves embroiled in a war of intrigue and secrets with Elaina's new found abilities right at the center. Elaina has no choice but to decide between the life of an insipid young bride, cowed by circumstance, or that of a warrior, determined to save the ones she loves.