The gods chose her for him. He gave her his word he'd never claim her. When he returns from the Trials, it becomes the one promise she wishes he would break.

Aliyah has always known what the gods expect of her.

As Acolyte to the High Moon Priestess, her life belongs to her goddess and the kingdom of Boros. By sacred decree, she is also meant for Prince Mathias. If he chooses to claim her, she will become his medora, the one second wife the gods grant a prince forced into a political marriage.

When they were thirteen, her best friend promised he never would.

Then Mathias comes home a changed man, and one heated sparring match in the sand turns that childhood promise to dust.

But a prince must marry for his kingdom first. His bride, the Duchess Torynn, brings the army Boros desperately needs, along with a cold, possessive hatred for the priestess her new husband cannot stop looking at.

Aliyah may love Mathias. But she will not choose him over her kingdom.

So she pours her heart into holding the kingdom together as the king falls ill, the provinces smolder with unrest, and Mathias rides toward a war he may not survive. The night before he leaves, she offers him the most sacred rite a priestess can give her prince, sealed in pleasure and in blood.

It may be enough to bring him home. But the deadliest enemy is not on the battlefield. They are already inside the palace walls.

A spicy standalone romantasy novella with friends-to-lovers, forbidden love, blood magic, and a childhood promise that never stood a chance.

Content warnings: open door,18+. Blood rituals, violence, and infidelity.