A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series. Bound in an unwanted marriage; Freya spends her days gutting fish; but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back. Freya's dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region's jarl; landing her in a fight to the death against his son; Bjorn. To survive; Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess's blood; which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate. Believing he's destined to rule Skaland as king; the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength; Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic; all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all; however; may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior; she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.