Forced into a dream-like state, Hope is now reliving her life as Mikomi, Princess of the Kagami Empire and The Healer of the world.

Life as an Imperial Princess is rife with danger, betrayal, and intrigue as Mikomi joins forces with a rebel group of samurai warriors in order to usurp the throne from her tyrannical father. To win this seemingly hopeless war, she must train with Musubi, a warrior in the rebel army, and learn the art of the sword without revealing her identity as The Healer.

Unbeknownst to her, Musubi harbors his own secret identity and personal agenda, both of which hold dark consequences for Mikomi's future. Neither one can afford to share their secrets, nor can they ignore the powerful chemistry building between them.

Further complications arise at the arrival of her betrothed, Katsu, who must aid her in mastering control of her own gift before she ascends as a full kami on her eighteenth birthday. Katsu is not the cold-hearted warrior god she expected, but how can she spend eternity with a deity she may never love?

Determined to avoid her destiny, she spies on her father and his generals, collecting intelligence for the rebel army in the hope that one day the empire of Kagami will be liberated and her own future will be hers to control.

*“Are you here to request a blessing from the god of love and marriage? A little late in the evening for that sort of thing, wouldn’t you say?”

I knew that voice. The low timbre of his words effectively broke whatever hold the shrine had over me. I abruptly turned and came face to face with Musubi, the man from Daiki’s tavern. I couldn’t hide my elation as I felt a slow grin capture my lips. The glow from the tree glinted off his blue eyes, and they seemed to twinkle merrily from their dark depths.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I wondered the same thing of you. Is there some injured soul wandering the ruins looking for a pretty woman of medicine to attend his every need?”

I blushed. “Of course, not. I’m merely…passing through.”

He arched a skeptic eyebrow at me. “Passing through? With two warriors and an old man trailing you?” He paused, waiting for me to offer up some explanation, but I remained silent.

I couldn’t break my promise to Akane and tell him who I was. He continued in another vein.

“You don’t intend to ask the god of love and marriage for a young man of your own, then? I hear the deity is quite generous with his blessings when pretty young maidens are involved.”

“Of course not.” My blush became fiercer. “I’m not in the market for a husband at the moment, and even if I had a young man in mind, I certainly wouldn’t ask a kami for permission."

Musubi studied me, clearly intrigued. “Really? Why ever not?”

Well, now I’d done it. I couldn’t seem to behave properly whenever I found myself in this man’s presence. He looked upon me intently, as if my response might matter more than anything else ever possibly could.

“I’d rather leave my fate in my own hands.” We were facing one another now. A powerful urge to wrap my arms around him and pull him to me assaulted my senses, and I barely controlled the impulse.

Musubi reached for me. He lightly took hold of my hands and pulled them toward himself, studying them for a moment. His lips turned up at the corners and his smile was kind.

“They seem like capable hands to me.*