The new queen of the molten land of Fyre, Mirri Naga, knows the only thing more important than being a good ruler is being a faithful follower of the Origin -- an immortal being who demands obedience or will melt her body from the inside out with the Eternal Flame. But when she rides in the Drakonte Ride that will determine who she marries, she is caught by an unexpected visitor who challenges the nature of her very rule. Izkander, the green-eyed son of reckless Bakr, isn't too keen on the Eternal Union he unwittingly jumped into, either. Young, free, and wanton, he plans to do everything he can to stay that way. That is until he realizes how much help he can actually be to Fyre. In this forced proximity and slow-burn romance, Mirri and Izkander must learn to reconcile their differences and find a path to freedom before Fyre falls to ruin or Mirri crosses a line the Origin can't tolerate and literally melts in his arms. In the birthplace of the fierce drakonte, and with a jealous mother-in-law to deal with, the hero and heroine embark on a fantasy adventure that requires fighting an immortal monster, braving an eternal being with a tendency to catch people aflame, riding the infamous Rukh bird, and delving into what is reality and what isn't. Tradition and freedom come to a head in this romantic fantasy novel which pits old ideas against new.