Attackers and defenders are an eternal symbiosis and an eternal confrontation. They always work as a pair: one strikes, the other covers. And it just so happens that getting a partner you will work with for the rest of your life is something everyone tries to secure as early as possible.
But for every rule there are exceptions. For Emelis of the Bien family, a career in magic is unavailable. After finishing her studies, she will be forced to return to the life she ran from nine years ago—balls, intrigues, and poisonous smiles of high society.
So Emelis doesn’t need a partner. But if there is no other way to avoid the persistent courtship of combat mages, she will have to make a deal. Not with a conscience—of course—but with the most mysterious student at the Durbor Academy of Magic. With the blue-eyed brunette who, just like her, is forbidden to fall in love…