Samantha Lau

He was meant to fade. Until he met him. Karrik of Skoldrith is a warrior on his last hunt. Wounded, cold, and ready to fade, he drags himself to the only shelter he can find: the crumbling ruins of a long-forgotten fortress. But he is not alone. Bound to the stone and silence is a creature of shadow and fire-a great dragon once feared and worshipped, now little more than a ghost. The Hollow King watches Karrik with ancient eyes-curious, wary.
and captivated. Against instinct and reason, he chooses to help. And as death slowly retreats, something unexpected blooms between them: companionship in isolation, warmth in the quiet, an impossible longing, a love neither of them expected. But the ruins are no haven. They are a tomb, a tether, a place of power that still hungers. And the Hollow King's time is running out. Karrik came to die. Now he must fight for something even rarer than survival: a future-for both of them.
Perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale and The House in the Cerulean Sea - An atmospheric tale of forgotten magic, quiet healing, and the bond between a dying warrior and a dragon who was never meant to be saved. Part 2 of The Unforgotten Duology