Shameless in the Serpent's Den

The fist connecting with my jaw was a rude awakening, but it was better than being sold. I was supposed to be a concubine; instead, I hacked off my hair, stole a curved blade, and joined the all-male Naga-Maw Brotherhood under the name 'Sariq'. Surviving the brutal daily brawls at the Coral-Bone Barracks was easy. Surviving Commander Jaran was another story. He’s terrifyingly intense, rigidly honorable, and entirely too observant. Naturally, I made it my life's mission to tease him mercilessly. But when a monsoon strands us at a remote outpost with only one bed, my cheeky provocations spark a dangerous fire. I watch in secret awe as Jaran violently spirals, fighting his own strict principles before finally deciding he doesn't care if I'm a man - he just wants me. But my past hasn't forgotten me. The tyrant who tried to buy me is hunting me down - not out of lust, but because my elemental bloodline is the only cure for his cursed daughter. To assassinate him, I have to don a silk gown and infiltrate his gala as a woman. When Jaran locks eyes with the mysterious dancer, will he realize the truth, or will my entire charade end in blood?