HE CLAIMED HER BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST Sultan Hank Brooks does not negotiate. He conquers. When the Northern Provinces fall, he finds his ultimate prize hidden within a sacred temple. Princess Taraji Ali was a pawn for other men until the Sultan shattered the gates. Now, she is his spoils of war. He carries her into the heart of the desert, far from the cold world she once knew. The journey across the Crimson Sands is a descent into heat and hunger. Taraji is a shy flower in a land of predators. She fears the Sultan’s overwhelming strength. She dreads the way he looks at her. Yet, his possessive touch awakens a fire she cannot ignore. Hank demands more than her obedience. He wants her soul. He strips away her past and dresses her in the colors of his reign. Enemies gather to steal her back. Houston Harrington leads an army to reclaim his betrothed. He does not realize that the Sultan never lets go of what he owns. Inside the Gilded Citadel, shadows of betrayal move in the dark. Taraji must find her place in a court of steel and secrets. She is no longer a victim of fate. She is the obsession of a king who will kill to keep her. He will ruin anyone who dares to stand between him and his prize.