Lord Kenneth Victeni has every opportunity and every privilege. As the noble son of a powerful mage, he puts little thought into the lives of the talentless, the second class citizens who cannot use magic in a world ruled by mages. That changes when he meets Thorn, a talentless who is studying at the inventor’s college, where those without magic develop steam-powered technology. The two men share a mutual attraction, and what’s more, Thorn just might be Kenneth’s lifemate—the man who, with just his presence, can double Kenneth’s magical power. Kenneth’s ignorance of the lives of the talentless puts an obstacle in their budding relationship, however, and his life grows even worse when another mage at the collegium attacks and nearly kills him. Now Thorn and Kenneth must put aside their argument and find a way to put a stop to a mage who poses a threat to others—and along the way, Kenneth might even learn the sensitivity he needs to win over Thorn.

Thorn and Kenneth begin their lives after college, and Thorn has his work cut out for him when he goes to meet Kenneth’s parents. The Victeni are nobility and have no problem putting Thorn in his place—or worse, simply ignoring him. But Thorn quickly learns that winning over Kenneth’s parents is the least of his worries. Kenneth has been selected to become an Enforcer, and with Thorn as his lifemate, Thorn has as well. To become Enforcers, they have to pass a test, and their examiners are not always straightforward about what they need to pass. Thorn is uncertain about his chances, and even less certain about whether or not he wants to be an Enforcer at all. He loves Kenneth and wants to stay with him, but as the test goes on he becomes worried if being an Enforcer will really let him help his people, or if he will just be seen as a traitor.

Kenneth and Thorn have become Enforcers, those who keep the peace, monitor major societal changes, and if necessary, hunt down criminals. Luckily, their first mission seems easy. They must explore a new alchemy school, meet with the governor of the local village, and determine if the school’s presence has upset the local population of people who cannot use magic at all. As a talentless himself, Thorn especially is concerned. He knows the inequality the talentless face in a world ruled by mages, and he is anxious to see how he will fare as an Enforcer. When they arrive, the governor is friendly enough. But as Kenneth and Thorn begin to explore the school and surrounding village, they find signs of something far more serious than simple friction between the talentless and the magi. Students at the alchemy school displays feats of magical strength far beyond what Kenneth has seen before, and Thorn finds out that talentless people are disappearing. They set out to figure out what is going on—but run into problems when they meet an old enemy.

Power means nothing when fighting for the one you love Kenneth and Thorn have put a stop to Alder’s cruel experiments on Talentless, but their work as Enforcers is far from over. In the heart of the magi capital, they find out that Alder is part of a larger organization—and Alder has allies that are quite upset with Enforcers who think they can put a stop to their plans. Kenneth assumes Thorn, a talentless, is the one who is most vulnerable—but when Kenneth is the one put in danger, Thorn will have to find a way to save his lover.

Having survived a dangerous ordeal, Kenneth is ready to spend time at home with his partner Thorn, relaxing and recovering after his brush with death. But Enforcers rarely have time to themselves, and they must continue investigating their newfound enemy, the group calling themselves the Iris.

Kenneth and Thorn have worked hard to uncover secrets about the Iris, the organization that threatens the government of mages that rules their world. They even revealed a spy among their fellow Enforcers. Now they head out on an undercover investigation to find out more about the dangerous organization. Posing as a non-noble mage and his servant, Kenneth and Thorn begin to explore a city where the Iris once operated. In a city full of businessmen and prostitutes, not to mention the distractions of learning more about each other’s desires, they can only hope that they aren’t too late.

Kenneth and Thorn have infiltrated a noble’s mansion as part of their mission as Enforcers. They hope to discover more about the Iris, a group of mages who threaten to overthrow their government and abuse those without magic to do it. What they discover at the mansion of one of the oldest and richest noble mage families is more than just promises of wealth. They will have to stay hidden and fight past twisted mind magic in order to discover the Iris’ true goals. But if they’re too late, the Iris will claim even more victims.

With danger mounting, Kenneth and Thorn travel to Elesborough to recruit allies for their cause. A friendly place, Elesborough is the first city to have a talentless governor since the war ended, and for his part in this, Thorn is seen as a hero. But all is not well in the talentless-governed town, even though they are able to recruit spies for a dangerous mission. Thorn and Kenneth are glad that inequality between mages and talentless is lessening in Elesborough, but the two groups still prefer to remain separate, threatening their dream of cooperation. And what’s worse, their enemy—the conspiracy of mages who seek to re-ignite the war and bring down the government—may have new targets—the Enforcers themselves.

When Kenneth and Thorn learn the planned coup by the Iris is imminent, they have no time to lose. They head to the capital city of Arktaine to find a way to foil the Iris’ plans. Since people have become aware of them as Enforcers, they are forced to hide in plain sight as a pair of talentless—no mean feat for Kenneth, accustomed as he is to presenting himself as a mage. He has long ago come to terms with Thorn’s dominance in their relationship, but now some of his most private secrets are laid bare in an unexpected way. Bad becomes worse with the discovery that Elesten has captured one of the Triumvirate, the leaders of the government. Kenneth and Thorn cannot rely on the other Enforcers, who are in as much danger as they are, so they turn to new allies—the talentless themselves. Both Kenneth and Thorn hope that talentless and mage can learn to fight together to eliminate the threat to all their lives. If they can, then maybe Thorn’s dreams of winning equality for the talentless will come to pass. And Kenneth and Thorn may finally get their happily ever after.

Kenneth is thrilled to have found a lifemate in Thorn, who doubles his magical power just by being close. When his new power becomes difficult to manage, Kenneth and Thorn take their relationship to the next level. Kenneth will live with Thorn for a week, in order to help Kenneth get his magic under control. But Thorn is a poor man with no magic, and Kenneth is a noble mage and the son of a war mage who fought against Thorn’s people. Not everyone approves of their relationship, and Thorn must face his fears of what a relationship with Kenneth will mean for his future.