Traumatized and touch-averse, Ruelle has become the morally-gray princess she must be to survive her family and their evil kingdom. When a young enemy Captain is brought into her father's dungeon, she's ordered to interrogate him. But she sees him as a way to protect herself, in a nation where power and pleasure are the only currency. When she claims him, the handsome prisoner's sunshiny charm begins to soften Ruelle's edges in ways she never expected, and tempts her to hope for something she has never let herself admit she wants--kindness, pleasure, and unconditional love.

(This story gets intense, but the two main characters always have consent and communication between them.)
TW/CW: se-x-ual slavery, light BD-SM, behavioral conditioning, murder, drug use, mention of ra- pe & assault, violence, gore, familial ab-use and conflict
SPOILER WARNING: This book contains a spoiler for "Captive of the Pirate King," book 2 in the "Dark Rulers" series.