Buck agreed to try Rachel Stoi's suggestion for how to match riders to his stolen dragons after four flights failed to bond with the beasts.

He'll put five well-trained female warriors in front of the dragons. If he fails a fifth time, the realm might not survive the next two years of ogre raids.

If she's right, he'll have to forget how attracted he is to the dun-haired beauty that supplied the trick that saved his last-ditch effort.

Rachel Stoi: an ostracized warrior. With a past filled with loss, she is determined to get her revenge against the ogres. What she experienced, if she will share what she knows, could save the realm.

Sauyer Buckleran: known as Buck, Marshal of the King's Guard and responsible for the five dragons he stole from Ogreland. Buck hopes to turn the war in their favor by leading dragon riders against the formidable enemy that is laying the kingdom to waste. All while resisting his desire for one of those riders.

The kingdom's survival grows dire when ogres use dragons to terrorize the kingdom, stealing cattle & children alike. Everything is meat to an ogre. In a land torn by war and bound by duty, can love survive?

Two leaders. Twenty years. A secret and a mission that promises to peel each painful layer of the past.

Cordella Gandomilford: ex-Queen's guard, she returned to the realm's capital just in time to be selected to bond with a dragon. She leads the fifth flight squad, the only dragon squad in the kingdom.

Boden Marks: king's messenger and first officer under Marshal Buckleran. He should be thrilled he was named Squad Commander of the five dragons and their riders. He would be, except he has a history with the squad leader and questions he's been waiting twenty years for her to answer.

The kingdom's survival grows dire when ogres use dragons to terrorize the kingdom, stealing cattle & children alike. Everything is meat to an ogre. In a land torn by war and bound by duty, can love survive?

Sent together into danger, they must rely on each other to survive.

Beautiful Jillian Mermia, meticulous and deadly with a sword, secretive and uncertain around men.

Kenith Eichen-Gandomilford, reluctant thaumaturge, illusion-masked warrior, expecting rejection if he reveals himself.

And their dragons.

Ogreland. A continent where everything is meat to an ogre, and humans are the prime delicacy.

Across the strait, the Shartres kingdom's survival grows dire when ogres use dragons to terrorize the kingdom, stealing cattle & children alike. Everything is meat to an ogre.

In a land torn by war and bound by duty, can love survive?

A mission where opposing goals might just be the only way to succeed.

Dervy Kettel: the youngest dragon rider from the first flight to bond with dragons. She is determined to prove she has what it takes.

Chakston Ward: the sisters he's been protecting for years are grown enough to manage on their own. Becoming a dragon rider keeps him battling the ogres that still endanger them. In his new role as a flying spy, can he stop being a big brother and learn how to be a partner?

One rider will challenge his habit of saving everyone, even when they don't need saving.

The kingdom's survival grows dire when ogres use dragons to terrorize the kingdom, stealing cattle & children alike. Everything is meat to an ogre. In a land torn by war and bound by duty, can love survive?

The ogres have increased their attacks and come close to breaching the castle walls. King Arnor needs a bodyguard, and he chooses Sulia Dek, a dragon rider, a flight trainer, one of the finest warrior women, and owner of a caustic tongue. One of them is going to have to show restraint.

Sulia Dek: On the outside, she is formidable, blunt, and brilliant with a blade. Inside, she trusts few to be her friend and no one to love her company.

King Arnor: carries the load of rule, the flaw of being young, and the determination to protect his realm. If he had an honest partner at his side, his heart would be safe and his kingdom closer to winning its war against the ogres.

The kingdom's survival grows dire when ogres use dragons to terrorize the kingdom, stealing cattle & children alike. Everything is meat to an ogre. In a land torn by war and bound by duty, can love survive?