A secret order. A forbidden desire. A treasonous choice.

Lance Wayland came to Stanton Castle with a hammer in his hand and a knife at the king’s throat. As a master of the forge and a founding member of the Order of the Broken Blade, his loyalty is pledged to a rebellion that could cost him his life. He has no room for distractions, yet the greatest threat to his mission isn’t King John’s men, it’s the Earl’s daughter.

Lady Idalia has a castle to run and a mother to save. In the wilds of Northumbria, she has learned that survival requires a heart of steel. She should stay away from the mysterious, dour smith, but every encounter at the Small Tower draws her deeper into a passion she can’t name—and a web of secrets she isn’t prepared to untangle.

One is bound by a blood oath. The other by duty.

As the rebellion looms and the forge grows hot, Lance must decide: Can he lead a revolution to save his country without destroying the only woman who makes him feel whole?