All my life, I’ve worked to become a palace partner, so when a new administrator selects me to be his, I plan to devote myself to his happiness. But Gabriel isn’t from the Capitol. He isn’t even from the Central Cities, which—forty-five years after a global cataclysm—is the only truly safe place in the world. He’s from the wilderness, and he doesn’t understand palace culture. He doesn’t even want a partner, but he’s stuck with me anyway. My job is to soften his life in any way he desires, but he believes there’s something wrong with the system. He only sees complications when the truth is very simple. And entirely reciprocal. He takes care of me, and I make him feel good.