The Dragon's Contract

Lily Jones, a 25-year-old nurse, is running out of time to save her younger sister Rose from leukemia. She goes to cursed land and makes a wish. Damien Blackwood, a dragon-blood heir, senses her presence but cannot control his energy before sunrise. She shows no fear. Her vitals stay steady. Mr. Graves, Damien's butler, notes the probability of breaking the curse is no longer zero.

Days later, the hospital moves to stop Rose's treatment over unpaid bills. Mr. Graves, Damien's butler, offers Lily two million dollars for a one-year marriage to Damien, with Rose's medical expenses covered. Lily signs. At the Blackwood mansion, Mr. Graves gives three rules: do not leave after sunset, never enter the east wing, do not ask about Damien's past. In the study, Damien presents the contract. Lily asks why her. He wanted someone who, after seeing him, would be willing to stay. She signs.

That night, Lily enters the east wing despite the rules. Damien orders her out. She stays. Her touch eases his pain for the first time in ten years. She promises to return the next night. Mr. Graves then gives Lily the truth. Victoria Sterling, a witch and Damien's former fiancée, cast the curse in front of his parents, then set the manor on fire. His parents died saving him. By day the curse leaves him too weak to walk; by night he transforms into a dragon, suffers burning scales, and slowly loses human consciousness. Victoria feeds on his agony. She gave Damien one version of the cure: true love. Mr. Graves suspects that is not the real cure.

Damien keeps Lily at a distance, calling her a tool. She stays. She makes him chicken soup. He tastes it for the first time in ten years and briefly stands. Mr. Graves notes the curse is loosening, but ten years of atrophy won't heal in a day, and Damien must keep using the wheelchair until the curse is fully broken.

The news announces Victoria Sterling's engagement to Marcus Webb, with a wedding in three months. Mr. Graves identifies Victoria as Damien's former fiancée—the witch who cursed him and feeds on his agony. Alone, Victoria says, "I know your secret now, Damien. And your little substitute."

While looking around, Lily notices an unusual flower. Mr. Graves explains it was Damien's mother's favorite, a rose connected to the Blackwood bloodline. It withers when Damien suffers. It has been withering since the curse began, but now it begins to recover. With Mr. Graves's help, Lily must break the curse, protect Rose, and save Damien—the man everyone fears, even if he is more monster than human.