He demanded tribute in gold. He left with a woman whose words are sharper than his claws.Khloe is the "Dove of the West," a diplomat famous for ending wars with nothing but a quill and a quiet voice. But when the skies turn black and the Dragon Warlord descends upon the peace summit, she realizes some monsters cannot be reasoned with.Wyrith of the Obsidian Peaks is a creature of magma and rage, a Warlord on the brink of going feral. His inner fire is consuming him, and only a mate can balance the heat. He doesn't want a companion; he wants a distraction. And the little human who dares to lecture him on "sovereignty" while he burns her kingdom's crops is the most interesting distraction he's found in centuries.Kidnapped and chained in a mountain hoard, Khloe is told to write treaties for a beast who only understands fire. But as she navigates Wyrith's volatile temper and the ancient politics of dragon clans, she discovers the Warlord's secret: he isn't burning the world because he hates it. He's burning it because he's terrified of what he will become when the fire goes out.The rest of the world sees a monster. Khloe sees a king waiting to be crowned. But to save him, she'll have to do the one thing a diplomat never does: start a war."I told him I would not bow to a beast. He smiled, and the mountain shook. 'Then you will kneel for a King.'"