Ariana never expected to care about the dragon that kidnapped her, but after five years together, they've grown to be close friends. He's truly as much a prisoner as she is, commanded by the mysterious "master" who orchestrated her abduction. But when her dragon is abruptly torn away from her, Ariana is faced with a new guardian, the irksome and ill-tempered Braith. Is this new dragon a captor or a friend ... or something else? How far should she go to protect him from her own would-be rescuers? And when his master is finally revealed, will it mean freedom at last, or only greater danger?