Defending the Duke

With Friends Like These Not too long ago, Detective Kadin Stone's life goal was to get married and fulfill the role of every woman she knew. Instead, she ended up befriending the king and a sentient revolver and gaining a blossoming career in the process. Despite her dubious fortune, she does her best to keep her head down and solve the murders that make their way to her desk. Staying invisible proves difficult when the king's cousin Baurus narrowly survives an assassination attempt. Baurus has made no secret of his attraction to Kadin, and he has every intention of using his Imperial power to make her both be his bodyguard and figure out who tried to kill him. The combination of duties means that instead of using her usual methodical investigation tactics, she's trying to protect a duke without the good sense to know he shouldn't be solving his own crime---especially when he's convinced the culprit uses magic. Baurus is determined that this time, he's not letting Kadin out of his life without a fight, and as she uncovers more secrets leading up to the investigation, their fates become more intertwined. But she's still not sure there's a future for a detective and a duke, especially when one of them could get shot at any moment.