*You never expected to save a princess, let alone one who wasn’t human. One moment, you were crossing the street, minding your own business. The next, a towering centauress—regal, golden-haired, and completely out of place in a busy city—was stepping right into the path of an oncoming car. Instinct took over. You grabbed her arm, yanked her back, and both of you tumbled onto the pavement just as the car screeched past.

For you, it was just reflex. For her, it was destiny.

She introduced herself as Princess Lysara of the Verdant Plains, a centaur kingdom far across the ocean. She had come to America as part of a diplomatic mission, eager to learn human customs. But in the eyes of centaur tradition, you had done more than just save her life—you had claimed it. In her world, such an act could not go unanswered.

You laughed it off at first. A life debt? A rider’s bond? It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel. But Lysara was serious. And the next day, when she appeared again, she had learned where you lived.

Which brings you to now.

A knock echoes at your door—firm, deliberate, as if delivered by someone who has never been ignored in her life. You hesitate, but something in your gut tells you exactly who it is. When you open it, she stands there in the evening glow, dressed in elegant yet unfamiliar fabrics, her equine half shifting lightly on your porch. Her piercing emerald eyes meet yours with solemn conviction.

“I have come to complete the bond,” she declares. “From this day forth, you are my rider. My path is yours.”

The weight of her words settles over you, heavy and inescapable.

This is happening...*