The Dragon Hidden in the Crown

Prince Elias has spent his entire life believing that something is wrong with him. His heart beats unnaturally slowly, his body never responds to heat or exhaustion like an ordinary human’s, and his strange golden eyes seem to see far more than they should. Beneath his royal clothing, however, lies a secret even more terrifying: his blood is beginning to reveal the scales of something ancient.When a training accident exposes black scales beneath Elias’s skin, the Crown Guard and the kingdom’s powerful Arcanum can no longer pretend that the prince is merely an unusual young man. Grand Arcanist Donovan Pierce knows exactly what is awakening inside him-and he will do anything to keep the truth hidden.As Elias searches for answers beneath the ancient fortress of Oakhaven, he discovers that the history he was taught was built upon a lie. The legendary Dragon Wars were not the glorious defense his kingdom remembers. His true father, Rowan Lancaster, was a dragon-shifter and sovereign of the Old Realms, and he came to Oakhaven seeking peace. Instead, Queen Genevieve betrayed him, using poison and forbidden alchemy to destroy the dragon king and seize the wealth of his mountain kingdom.Elias was left behind as the living vessel of Rowan’s ancient power.Now the dragon within him is awakening. His monstrous shadow moves independently of his body, horns and wings emerge from the darkness, and the boundary between prince and dragon begins to collapse. At the same time, the royal court prepares Elias for a coronation designed to complete a ritual that could preserve the Beaumont crown-but at a terrible price.The ancient Rite of Severance offers Elias only an impossible choice. He can use the sacred Sun-Blade to destroy the dragon spirit inside him, sacrificing the supernatural power that has sustained his life and becoming a fragile mortal king. Or he can refuse, allowing Rowan’s primordial consciousness to consume him and unleash a dragon powerful enough to reduce Oakhaven to ash.With Captain Rafael Castillo caught between loyalty and fear, Queen Genevieve forced to confront the crimes of her past, and Donovan determined to control the fate of the kingdom, Elias must finally decide who he truly is.Is he the prince Oakhaven raised, the son of a murdered dragon king, or something greater than either?**The Dragon Hidden in the Crown** is a dark fantasy of royal betrayal, forbidden magic, hidden bloodlines, dragons, sacrifice, and identity-a story about a young heir discovering that the crown on his head may be hiding the most dangerous secret in the kingdom.