Monsters' Bride Market

I am a thing of horror. A failed experiment, stitched from mismatched parts. I carved out our place in the wastelands of Alia Terra, yet even my own kind, perfected by my work, avoids me. Hideous and alone. Years ago, consumed by this loneliness, I sent my blood to a Marriage Temple, and to my surprise, I was matched to a maiden. What happened when she saw me sent me into a spiral of despair and grim thoughts. I vanished behind my mansion's gates, forever. But forever is a long time to be lonely. If this is my fate, then I'll reject my immortality and be done with it. Or I can try once more…

They say never meet a Void Walker's gaze. I made him look. Now I'm trapped in his realm of shadows, where silence cuts deep and desire coils between us like fire. He touches like he's starving. Watches like I'm the last light in his collapsing world. But he's hiding secrets—about my sister, about the enemy stalking us both, and about the bond that's tightening with every breath. I came to destroy him. I never meant to crave him.

The bride market offers women a choice. I walked in ready to pick someone survivable—not someone terrifying. Not someone I wanted. In Alia Terra, monsters rule. The only way out for a broken, unmatched woman like me? Sell myself at auction—and hope I don't regret it. But when the bidding...