Orphanage matron Kiera didn't expect that sneaking into a masquerade wearing a bespelled ballgown would lead to a magical evening with the king, but for King Devon, it couldn't be more perfect. Kiera is intelligent, compassionate, and strong, everything he longs to find in a wife... and a queen. And Devon needs a queen now: a generations-old treaty with the nightmara herds is due for renewal, and the matriarchal nightmara deal only with women. Yet when he asks Kiera to marry him, she can't believe he's serious-he's the king and far above her station. So to prove his love and win her heart, Devon convinces Kiera to act as his betrothed to negotiate with the nightmara for the good of the kingdom. But once the treaty is signed, Kiera is certain their love affair will come to an end. She'll return to her life at the orphanage, and Devon will find a suitable noblewoman to marry. Because surely a king couldn't really marry a poor commoner like Kiera... right?