sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around her feelboth physically and emotionallya gift shes kept hidden from the empire for seventeen long years after a reckless mistake wipes out all the other girls with similar abilities sonya is hauled off to the palace and forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign auraseertasked with sensing the intentions of wouldbe assassins sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor but sonyas power is untamed and reckless and she cant always decipher when other peoples impulses end and her own begin in a palace full of warring emotions and looming darkness sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herselfas she struggles to wrangle her abilities sonya seeks refuge in her tenuous alliances with the charmingyetvolatile emperor valko and his idealistic younger brother anton the crown prince but when threats of revolution pit the two brothers against each other sonya must choose which brother to trustand which to betray