Bonded

Neirin has spent his life in the shadows of the throne, a castle guard bound by duty and the secret of his bloodline. A bastard son of the King, he has long since given up on freedom, tethered to the capital by a promise to protect the brother who stands to inherit everything. But within these walls, where ghosts whisper through stone and the weight of his past threatens to consume him, the monster beneath his skin stirs.

During the festival of Ayrenven, Neirin finds himself drawn from his post by a woman whose beauty and defiance unravel him. A healer branded a witch, Evera is shackled by the demands of a life she does not want and faced with a choice that could cost her everything.

Their collision is a spark against tinder, igniting desires and possibilities neither can afford. With their fates tangled in secrets and blood, Neirin must decide to embrace the darkness within, find freedom outside of the kingdom that has forsaken him, or risk losing the woman who sees past his scars.

When the truth is revealed, can they defy fate or will they be torn apart by the monsters they've tried so hard to bury?