The Cursed Horde King (Hordes of the Elthika Book 2)

Pretending to be someone else is dangerous enough. Doing it in front of a king who can read minds? That's a death wish.

When Amaia agrees to take her brother's place in a high-stakes diplomatic exchange, she knows the risks. Slipping into enemy territory as a spy, she secures a position at the dragon hatchery of Grym—a rival nation where secrets are currency and betrayal is sport. She has one advantage: a rare, forbidden gift for healing that no one can ever discover. One advantage, and one massive problem.

King Alaryk Arn'dyne.

Ruthless, commanding, and wielding heartstone magic that lets him peer directly into the thoughts of others, Alaryk is the last man Amaia should be deceiving. He sees through pretense the way his dragon cuts through sky—effortlessly, and without mercy. Every interaction is a battle of wills, every glance a calculated risk. She despises him. He unsettles her in ways she refuses to name.

But when a deadly curse strikes Alaryk's dragon and the beast begins to die, Amaia's secret abilities become the one thing standing between Grym and catastrophe. Forced into an uneasy alliance, the two circle each other with suspicion, hostility, and something far more dangerous simmering beneath the surface.

In this lush science-fiction romantasy world where dragons, forbidden magic, and political intrigue collide, the greatest