The Dragon is coming for Clare, countess of Trent. For years Clare--secretly The Nightingale, writer of heroic adventures--has fought being wed to a man of King Henry's choosing. But as Welsh rebels swoop down toward her castle and King Henry's men march to meet them, she is finally caught in the king's net: he is now determined to marry Clare to the profligate nephew of the knight known as The Dragon. Astride his black charger, The Dragon rides through snow and sleet, seeking his nephew's appointed bride. When villains attack, a daring maiden rescues him--a Valkyrie of courage--the Countess Clare. In one glorious moment. he loses his heart to the woman he'd vowed to deliver to another man. As desire overtakes him, danger comes nigh to them both. Surrounded by treachery, both The Nightingale and The Dragon feel their only hope beating in their hearts ...their everlasting love ....