The Warden's Stolen Oath

The memory extractor is already descending toward Mara Vale’s skull when the man who once dragged her into chains offers her a way out. But freedom comes at a price: a seven-day oath to Dorian Rusk, the border warden she hates. The bond forces them to share every wound, dream, and secret—and keeps the crown’s most feared enforcer close enough to stop her escape. As Mara hunts the stolen memories that could clear her name, Dorian discovers the “traitor” he was ordered to break may be the lost heir who can awaken an army buried beneath the city. The more danger closes in, the harder it becomes to tell whether his touch is protection, possession, or the one truth she can no longer survive without. When the final memory reveals who rewrote her bloodline—and why Dorian was sent to capture her—will Mara use his oath to reclaim her throne, or trust the man sworn to deliver her to the crown?