When beast master Dominik Ralston agrees to pose as Sienna Heathwood’s husband for a government assignment, he anticipates the pretense and even the deceit. What he doesn’t expect is the fierce desire she awakens within him, or the struggle to keep the need to claim her from clouding his judgment. Disguised as a scientific expedition to New Columbia, their true mission is to uncover whether the nation is secretly mining iron and supplying it to an emerging superpower that treats its people as mere commodities.
As Dominik and his hawk navigate the treacherous wilds of an unexplored region, he begins to suspect Sienna’s genetic talent is far greater than anyone, including Sienna herself, could imagine. Dominik has to acknowledge a startling and unwelcome fact: their own government may have been exploiting her for years. But revealing the truth could shatter her fragile world, for Sienna has already sacrificed her freedom, her trust, and even her very heart, in service to her nation. She has endured marriage after marriage to men chosen not for love, but for their country to maintain control over her.
The one thing Sienna can’t deny is the fire Dominik alone has been able to ignite within her. For the first time, Sienna experiences true passion at Dominik’s hands. And as they get closer to discovering the truth of New Columbia’s deceit, Sienna might have to decide if a life with Dominik is worth risking the future of the ranked guardian position that has always defined her.
