Firebird

Julianus Dakkia is a Roman general and the emperor's nephew, a conqueror known for his brutality. Years ago, as a centurion, he gave a secret talisman to a Dacian dancer named Malina, and he has never stopped being bound to her.

On a scarred battlefield she stands before him again, a captive whose life hangs in the balance. To rescue her, he takes on his dragon shape, a choice that could see him executed and his head displayed on the imperial gate.

The setting is a reimagined ancient Rome ruled by dragon shifters, where flying deathriders conquer from the skies. Malina is twenty-one and has lost her family. She means to fight to her last breath, yet her soul has always answered his.

She learns that Julian is caught in the schemes of his mad uncle, who is hungry for domination. Together they plot to bring down the empire itself, with an inner circle of conspirators around them and prophecy running through Malina's power.

This is adult dark romantasy, the first of a trilogy called The Fire That Binds. The romance is a captive-and-conqueror pairing with a fated bond, and slavery in this Rome is dealt with directly. Readers split on the master-and-captive dynamic: some find the possessive pull compulsive, others find the premise uncomfortable.