Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy's life has never been her own. As the Maiden, she must live in complete isolation: never touched, never looked at, never spoken to, and never to feel pleasure. Awaiting her Ascension, she secretly yearns to fight alongside the guards against the evil that took her family. But everything changes when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard assigned to protect her, enters her life. He challenges her beliefs, stirs forbidden desires, and awakens a fire within her. As a fallen kingdom rises to reclaim what it lost, and dark forces close in, Poppy must choose between duty and desire, risking not only her heart but her very life.