A political alliance, a forced marriage, and two people who find unexpected comfort in each other’s “ugliness.”
Brishen Khaskem, the spare prince of a monstrous, nocturnal race, agrees to a marriage of convenience for the sake of peace between kingdoms. Ildiko, a human noblewoman with no real value to her court, accepts her role as bride to a man who looks like death warmed over.
Neither expects love. Not even friendship. Just duty.
But when war threatens to shatter their fragile bond, Brishen and Ildiko must rely on more than diplomacy. They’ll need loyalty, trust, and the kind of quiet affection that grows when no one’s watching.
With hostile powers circling and ancient magic awakening, their alliance might be the only thing that stands between peace and annihilation.
Can love truly bloom in the dark?
