Since the murder of her magically-gifted mother, Elaina has been raised and sheltered on her father's ship. But when Elaina's secret is compromised, she must return to land and live under the king's protection...much to her objection. Ashland's crown prince, Nicholas, has never been without. Handsome, clever, and popular, he's everything a prince should be and more. He is also, however, facing a possible civil war and a deadly foe who preys on his magic-gifted citizens. So when he meets Elaina, Nicholas delights in insisting that she share the military expertise gained on her father's ship. He gets more than he bargained for, though, when he finds that he might have fallen for the one girl who refuses to fall for his charms. Elaina can see right through Prince Nicholas, and she is unimpressed. At least...she thinks she is. But just as she begins to admit that there may be more to the charming prince than meets the eye, a dark turn of events finds her exiled and forced into servitude, a civil war declared, and the murderer bloodthirstier than ever. Can Nicholas and Elaina defeat the dark forces that have poisoned their kingdom...and find their own happy ending as well?