Still reeling from the mysterious deaths of her father and brother, Ary Gold survives only by sheer will in the icy wilds of the North. But when strangers arrive with stories of long-lost magic, Ary is thrust into a fate far largerthan her sorrow.The realm of Nyrida is under threat. An ancient shadow wielder has risen, determined to plunge the world into corrupted darkness. And Ary is the only one who can stop him.They say she has royal blood. That magic runs in her veins. That she is already promised in marriage-to a powerful commander whose army is her only hope of winning the coming war.But her fiercest challenge will not be on the battlefield...Assigned to shape her into a warrior is a man cloaked in violence and secrets. Cold, arrogant, and maddeningly unreadable, he isn't her betrothed-but he may be her undoing...