AVANI I didn’t ask for any of this. Yet here I am. Had I just said no to my mother in the first place, none of this would have happened, but that’s not behavior becoming of the heir to the throne of Stratho. Not something the descendant of Carrae, the Goddess of Earth and Fire, is allowed to do. I didn’t expect when she sent me to Melandrea that things would play out this way. This wasn’t the plan. I was sent here to infiltrate. To glean information about their army and kingdom. To seduce one of the ruling family—the Barclay brothers—and create a connection that would make our land unstoppable. But I failed.All because I tried to be a better person than my mother. I got myself kidnapped by the infuriating second born, Kairos Barclay, and possibly lost my entire future helping his family. And now I’m stuck. What I didn’t expect in this hellhole situation was finding two men willing to do anything to help me figure my life out. Now I just need to determine if I can let them in or if turning to my enemy is the safer bet. **Authors Note** This is book one in a trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger. Additionally, this book contains darker themes and is intended only for 18+ audiences. Please visit www.authoralliemaddox.com to see a list of all trigger and content warnings.