A fae guardian of the realm falls in love with a charming Elizabethan spy – who could be the key to her world's undoing. ***Samson Calthorpe's father is a court favourite – but that alone won't take him far without money and so many people depending on him.

So when the opportunity arises to become a royal spy, he has to take it, using every bit of the skills and resolve he's picked up on the streets of London to prove his worth in Queen Elizabeth's court. Alyth Graham has kept her eyes on Queen Mary's husband, Lord Darnley, for years – her eyes and her magic. She may be a member of the Scottish court, but she's no lady.

A bastard child of a fae prince and a human mother, Alyth is among the most powerful protectors in Scotland: guardians sworn to support the barrier keeping the Red Caps, a bloodthirsty clan of fairies, away from the Fae Land portals. As Alyth and Samson circle each other in the volatile and glamorous Scottish court, both seek to uncover threats to their own countries. They have only one unifying link: their shared hatred and suspicion of Lord Darnley.

Using secret codes, hidden messages, and a little bit of magic, Alyth and Samson unravel a plot centuries in the making. Lord Darnley is only a pawn, and in this game, the queen takes all.