I do not want a bride. They are difficult to protect. And those males who are mated have homes—clans. I have neither. My nest was destroyed. My territory usurped, and it is her peoples’ fault. Julia’s. The unmated female soldier within Zaku’s home. But when I discover nagas have arrived from across the land, and that she is going to choose one to help her get back to her people, I am unsettled by what she offers in return... Then hundreds of ships arrive. With the landscape changing, and the tides shifting, I must leave to find out what is going on. Except I am not alone. Julia will come with me. Because I do not want her to be with another. I refuse to imagine it. Even if the forest is dangerous, and it is entirely up to me to keep her safe, I will take her with me. But what if there is no safer place for her than in my arms?