Kat Ardent

Aubrey hates the literal gold skin that brands her a living, breathing treasure. High nobles covet Golds like her as trophy wives, while monstrous wyverns hunt her kind to fuel their fiery breath. 

When the prince announces he’s seeking a wife and Aubrey’s stepmother thrusts her into society like a prize broodmare, Aubrey grasps the opportunity. She dons her loathsome gold-revealing gowns and charges into high society. She’ll need a high nobleman’s power and money to rip her late-father’s estate from her stepmother’s greedy clutches to provide her cousin and her stepsister sanctuary—and Aubrey has her sights set on the Prince.

That is… until rebels ambush her carriage. She expects to be kidnapped and bled for a fortune—gold blood like hers fetches a fantastic price—but the enigmatic rebel leader, Abel, requests only that she consider compassion for their plight in the coming months. She isn’t inclined to believe a word he says, but as she parades herself into every social event and bats her lashes at the Prince, she also can’t miss the nobles’ casual cruelty. Worse yet, each time Abel swaggers across her path, the tingles down her spine remind her: only he looks at her like she’s a person, not a purchase.

But Abel can’t save her or her estate. Only high nobility possess the specialized armor to offer protection from the wyverns. Thus, her choice is simple: entice the Prince to marry her… or become fuel to monsters. 

Then again, maybe her cruel kingdom deserves to burn—and she can spark the blaze.