A ruthless elf mercenary kidnaps a sheltered princess to collect the bounty promised by a rival kingdom—but the long journey to deliver her becomes something different. Around campfires and along blood-stained roads, the mercenary teaches the princess how to survive, how to fight, and how to taste the freedom she was never meant to have. As their attraction grows, the mercenary’s secret begins to surface: she is a dragon in disguise, enjoying her once a century period of mortal form before returning to her true shape. When they decide instead to kill the prince and take the bounty for themselves, the dragon expects the princess to abandon her once the transformation is complete—but the princess, newly awakened to her darker nature, finds she loves the dragon even more when the monster finally shows itself.