Summary
Chosen as a Dragon Keeper at just two years old, Dong Rao grows up beside Gengchen, an aloof black dragon destined for godhood. She washes his scales, reads him travelogues, and learns to understand the silences he offers everyone else. But the beautiful boy beneath those scales carries secrets—and a hatred of humans that tenderness alone cannot erase. As Dong Rao begins to dream of a future beyond her family’s walls, Gengchen’s unexplained absences grow more dangerous. Her duty is to help him ascend. Her heart wants him to stay. Somewhere between those wishes lies a past neither can escape.