Something I love revealing slowly in this collection: the people connected to Merkaia by soul-vow go back much further than the current story immediately lets on.
The back cover mentions a king who already loves her, and the dragon bonded to his soul. Their names are Lam and Anjaom — bonded to each other long before Merkaia entered their lives, and both bonded to her in what this world calls the Dragonlight Vow: an eternal, three-souled bond older than any of their current lifetimes. She died five hundred years ago and returned with the same name, the same soul, and no memory of who she was. Lam died in the same wars that tore his bond with Anjaom apart, and has since returned too. Prophecy is what’s bringing all three back together — and Anjaom, more than anyone, knows exactly what’s at stake in losing her again.
If you’d like to read it in context: Paperback and Kindle
See the character videos as they go up: Dragon Kings Playlist on YouTube