Percy Vales has never imagined herself becoming queen. While the other girls in Veyndra would go to great lengths for an invitation to the palace, Percy has no interest in royal plots or in marrying the lecherous king who rules the supernatural realm. So when an unexpected invitation to a royal gathering arrives so that the king can choose his wife (a human queen) as a normal cultural practice she is shocked to find herself cornered by a mysterious stranger who seems oddly interested in her. Percy spends the evening trying to avoid him, never realizing that the stranger is actually Kael Veyne, the king himself. “Is this your first time at a royal gathering?” A voice spoke from behind her, low, smooth yet dangerous. Percy turned slowly. He was standing there, masked in black, his eyes never leaving her, not even for a moment. He was fixed on her, as if he had already made up his mind. “I could say the same for you,” she answered, trying to keep her voice steady. A faint smile flickered across his lips. “You are mistaken, sweet pea,” he stated simply. I have been waiting for this moment. She felt her breath catch in her throat. “Waiting for what?” “For you.” The words should have sounded absurd, yet they came across like a warning. And he walked off. The next morning, Percy wakes in her own room to discover that a royal decree has been delivered to her house. Apparently, the king has chosen her to be his bride. Not only her—her friend has also been chosen as the second human bride. Percy tries to reject the proposal, but Kael has no intention of accepting her answer. Before she can make sense of what is happening, she is taken to the palace, where she learns that marriage to the king is far more dangerous than she ever imagined.