At thirty-two, I'm too old for this. The dragon that chose me has already killed three riders. And my instructor knows exactly what I am—he's just not telling me. I've spent three decades perfecting failure. College dropout. Fired barista. Retail disaster. Freelance photographer who couldn't book a gig. When a military recruiter offers me a spot at Thornwick Academy, I'm desperate enough to ignore every red flag. I expect boot camp. I get creatures that shouldn’t exist... moreAt thirty-two, I'm too old for this. The dragon that chose me has already killed three riders. And my instructor knows exactly what I am—he's just not telling me. I've spent three decades perfecting failure. College dropout. Fired barista. Retail disaster. Freelance photographer who couldn't book a gig. When a military recruiter offers me a spot at Thornwick Academy, I'm desperate enough to ignore every red flag. I expect boot camp. I get creatures that shouldn’t exist. Thornwick isn't a military academy—it's a hunting ground for an ancient war, where legacy families bond with Sovereigns or die trying. These cadets have trained since childhood. They know the protocols, the bloodline politics, the secret history of this place. I learned magic existed seventy-two hours ago. Then Obsidian chooses me. A black dragon. A mountain-shaking force that killed his last three potential riders. Ancient, volatile, and now mine. The academy gives me two weeks before I'm added to his body count. But my flight instructor? He's already decided I'll survive. Captain Kael Blackwater is devastating and dangerous, pushing me past every limit while watching me like I'm a bomb he's trying to defuse. He trains me like my life depends on it—because it does. What I don't understand is why. Why does he look at me like he knows something I don't? Why are black dragon riders being systematically murdered, their deaths staged as training accidents? Why are pale creatures with needle-sharp teeth suddenly hunting bonded dragons, draining their blood, leaving corpses that all lead back to me? Kael has answers. About black dragons. About a royal bloodline supposedly exterminated centuries ago. About what I am and why Obsidian chose a thirty-two-year-old foster kid with no magic, no family, no right to be here. He's keeping me alive by keeping me in the dark. And I'm falling for him anyway—for the man who's either my protector or my handler, who teaches me to fly while hiding the truth about why things with teeth are hunting me, who might have orders to eliminate me the second I become too dangerous. The Bonding Ceremony was supposed to be the hard part. No one warned me that the real test is surviving what I'm becoming. Welcome to Thornwick Academy, where:. Dragons choose riders (or kill them). Instructors keep deadly secrets about your bloodline. Something is hunting bonded Sovereigns and draining them dry. The man training you might be the one ordered to end you. Being chosen isn't an honor—it's a target on your back. Perfect for readers who crave: Older heroines who've failed at life • Bonds forged with killers • Instructors with devastating secrets • Systematic murder conspiracies • Found family built on survival • Protectors who might be jailors • Romance where trust could be fatal • High-stakes paranoia that earns its keep. less
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