A driven mage. A brooding prince. And a second chance at love—or heartbreak.

Anadae Helm is done with being her family’s political pawn. After nearly three decades, the water mage is determined to forge her own path and further her studies. Cut off from her funds, she’s forced to become a research assistant to a handsome former tutor who only sees her as the pushover she once was.

Prince Ezzyn Sor’vahl believes his duty is to save his kingdom from the magical poison corrupting the land. Finding promising university researchers like Anadae is his only goal. The standoffish prince has no time for love, but when a masquerade party ends with a night in her bed, everything changes.

Furious that any hint of favoritism might ruin her chance to prove her worth, Anadae swears off romance. Yet as she researches a cure for the magical poison and becomes invested in helping Ezzyn’s people, their walls start to crumble. Can their budding feelings survive their ambitions, or will it be too late to pursue the life—and love—of their dreams?