The Last Dragon King

The first book in the Kings of Avalier series is set in the fantasy realm of Avalier, where kingdoms of dragonfolk, elves, fae, and wolven coexist alongside Nightfall, a human-ruled territory whose queen, Zaphira, seeks to purge the realm of all magical creatures. In Embergate, the dragon king's magic sustains all dragonfolk connected to him, and he must produce an heir to keep that power strong. Without one, his magic will fade and his people will die.

Arwen Novakson, an 18-year-old hunter from impoverished Cinder Village, returns from a weeklong hunt hauling a cougarin, a large predatory cat and her biggest kill yet. The ash-covered village at the base of Cinder Mountain is home to a mixed community of humans, dragonfolk, elves, fae, and wolven, most with diluted magic. Since her father died when she was nine, Arwen has been her family's sole provider, feeding her mother and younger sister, Adaline.

During the village's May Day festival, Kendal, the village gossip, announces that King Drae Valdren is searching for a new wife. Queen Amelia died in childbirth after losing four children because the king's magic was too powerful for her body. Magic "sniffers" will visit every town to identify eligible women. Arwen's mother arrives in a panic and urges Arwen to leave immediately. Arwen insists on first visiting the festival's kissing tent, where she shares an electric kiss with a mystery partner who vanishes before blindfolds are removed.

Back home, Arwen's mother reveals that Arwen was not born to her. A heavily pregnant highborn woman, fleeing a battle, arrived at the tavern where Arwen's mother worked, went into early labor, and died after giving birth. Before dying, she warned that her family had been murdered over a magic they carried and that if this magic were detected in the child, the child would be killed. She placed a protective spell on the baby's magic, warning it would fade over time. Her mother also reveals that Adaline was fathered by another man with her late husband's consent. She urges Arwen to flee before the sniffers arrive and advises that if her power is ever discovered, she must make the king fall in love with her to survive.

Arwen tries to slip out a side gate but is intercepted by a hooded member of the Drayken, the king's elite Royal Guard. When Regina Wayfeather, the Guard's legendary commander, arrives and addresses the hooded man as "my king," Arwen realizes she has been speaking with King Valdren himself. She is escorted to the great hall, where the sniffers detect significant magic in her. The terms are generous: 500 jade coins per month plus food for each woman's family. Arwen signs the contract and departs with the Royal Guard.

During the journey, the Nightfall army crosses into Embergate. Drae transforms into a massive black dragon, places Arwen and Kendal on his back, and takes flight. He communicates with Arwen through telepathic mindspeak, and she kills a pursuing Nightfall warrior with the king's sword while Drae incinerates others with dragon fire.

At Jade Castle, Arwen falls severely ill as the protective spell on her magic fails. Her temperature skyrockets, and she begins to burn. When she wakes from an ice bath, she overhears the king and Dr. Elsie, an elf-dragon hybrid physician, discussing her condition: Arwen smells pure-blooded, and the concealment spell has worn away. The king, his voice breaking, says he cannot bury another child. Over the following days, Drae and Arwen bond through private meals and shared interests in hunting and archery.

At the welcome ball, more than 100 prospective wives touch a Revealing Stone that amplifies their magic. Kendal produces modest flames and is eliminated. Joslyn, a girl from Grim Hollow, creates a towering inferno. When Arwen touches the stone, she erupts in blue flames and sprouts blue dragon wings. Drae orders his guards to seize her, and she is imprisoned beneath the castle.

Before her interrogation, her maid Narine tells Arwen about the Eclipse Dragons, a rival royal dragon clan whose queens could absorb other dragonfolk's magic, killing them. The Eclipse queen warred with King Valdren's ancestors and was defeated, but her daughter reportedly survived in hiding. During the interrogation, Drae confirms Arwen's identity: She is the lost queen of the Eclipse Dragon clan, and her magic, called "king killer," can devour his power. Her ancestor killed hundreds of dragonfolk by absorbing their magic, an atrocity disguised in history as a plague. Both confess their feelings, and Arwen kisses him. The spark matches the one from the May Day tent, revealing Drae was her mystery kisser. He finds her innocent but orders her not to leave Jade City.

Arwen overhears Drae's advisors recommending Joslyn as the safer bride, since a child from both dragon lines could be catastrophic. Drae reluctantly agrees to marry Joslyn. When Arwen panics and tries to flee, Drae stops her and instead offers her a position in his Royal Guard, her lifelong dream. Over weeks of training under Regina and a fellow guard called Cal, Arwen learns to breathe fire, throw fireballs, and discovers self-healing abilities. Joslyn befriends Arwen, and Drae privately confesses he does not love Joslyn and could have chosen Arwen instead. Arwen refuses to betray Joslyn.

One evening, Nightfall assassins ambush Arwen and Joslyn in the garden and slit Joslyn's throat. Arwen incinerates the assassins with blue dragon fire, then collapses in shock. Drae saves her by channeling his own dragon fire to warm her freezing body and declares he will retaliate by killing the Nightfall queen's eldest son, who serves as her lead military commander. Arwen insists on joining the mission as a Royal Guard member, and Drae reluctantly agrees.

The assassination succeeds, but the escape turns chaotic. Drae can only partially shift into dragon form, revealing his magic is deteriorating. Regina sacrifices herself so Arwen and Cal can escape over a fort wall. Arwen is struck by a poisoned arrow, and Drae flies her to the elven kingdom of Archmere, where King Raife Lightstone, his childhood friend, agrees to heal her on one condition: Drae must honor his promise to help kill Queen Zaphira.

Drae confesses his love and proposes, revealing he was drawn to Arwen from the moment he saw her carry the cougarin into Cinder Village and that he stole her first kiss in the May Day tent. She accepts. However, an ancient record reveals that the only known child born to parents from both dragon lines was deformed and lived only hours. Dr. Elsie advises against the couple having children. Drae proposes marrying Arwen while taking other women as mistresses solely to produce an heir. Arwen is devastated but agrees, recalling her own father's similar sacrifice.

On their wedding night, Drae goes to one of the other women but returns unable to go through with it. He tells Arwen he wants a baby with her regardless of the risk, and she agrees. Nine months later, Arwen delivers healthy twin girls, named Regina and Joslyn. A golden glow descends on each baby, signifying strengthened dragon magic. Moments later, King Raife arrives to call in Drae's promise. In the final chapter, narrated from Drae's perspective, Raife reveals that Zaphira has built a machine capable of stripping magical beings of their power. Drae agrees to join the other kings of Avalier against Nightfall, asking for one week with his newborn family before departing.