Chapter 1
I was sixteen the spring King Eros Caelthorn of Daros arrived at Artuza. He came to be betrothed to my oldest sister, Princess Serenna—a match my parents had brokered before I was old enough to care about things like alliances or thrones.
I only cared the moment he stepped through our castle gates.
From the grand staircase, half-hidden behind a marble banister carved with gods and vines, I watched him arrive: tall, broad-shouldered, wrapped in black leather with his country’s yellow slashing his cape. His face was all strong lines and golden skin, a jaw that could have been carved from stone, and eyes the color of a storm beating down the sea.
Power seemed to settle on him as naturally as breath, and even in stillness, he radiated control—the kind that made you want to see just how far you could push him. His crown was black metal and hard edges, daring you to look—and never look away. His court followed in a ripple of midnight cloaks and shining armor, quiet as a tide, eyes sharp and secretive. I wondered, for a heartbeat, what they whispered about us, what they saw that we did not.
My parents waited below in emerald green, regal and eager, all stiff pride. They performed their greetings for him, shepherding him away to some silent chamber for talk of alliances and dowries. I slipped out, heart pounding, the world suddenly sharp and electric, and found Serenna at her vanity, white-knuckled and wide-eyed.
“Oh, it’s you,” she breathed, catching my reflection in the mirror. “For a second I thought you were the staff come to drag me down.”
She was dazzling—her gown a river of green silk, her hair a crown of fire-red braids, pearls glinting between each coil. Even her nerves couldn’t dull how beautiful she was, how much she looked like the queen she was promised to become.
“They’ll send for you soon,” I grinned, perching on her bed, feigning lightness I didn’t feel. “He’s here.”
Serenna’s eyes went huge. “He is? How do I look?” She spun, smoothing her dress, shoulders drawn like she was holding up the world.
“Pretty,” I said, but she rolled her eyes and turned to Kaelyra, who was lounging nearby.
“No, honestly, do I look ridiculous?” Serenna demanded, spinning faster.
Kaelyra got up and fixed a curl. “You look like a queen,” she said firmly. “He’ll be lucky if he can even speak to you.”
Serenna sighed, pulling at her bodice. “I heard he likes them dainty. I’m not—”
“You’re perfect, Ren,” Kaelyra said. “You just have a shape.” We all burst out laughing, tension breaking like a wave.
A knock made us freeze. A young maid peeked in, cheeks flushed. “Princess Serenna, they’re ready for you downstairs.”
Serenna inhaled, set her shoulders, and left in a swirl of perfume and nerves. I watched her go, my chest aching in a way I didn’t have words for.
That evening, the main hall glowed—columns soaring, light caught on crystal and gold. The ceiling was a riot of gods and green forests, and the tables groaned with roasted duck, spiced vegetables, honeyed fruit. The court was a sea of color and expectation, all eyes on Serenna, who sat at the head of the table, awaiting her future husband.
She stole a glance at us, her eyes bright with hope and terror. “He’s so gorgeous,” she whispered the first chance she got. “Breathtaking.”
“So he’s not some ancient relic?” Kaelyra teased, making me snort.
Serenna shook her head, glowing. “No, only seven years older. He’s… I can’t even breathe when he looks at me.”
I tried to be happy for her, but the ache in my chest said otherwise. She’d be leaving our trio soon, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the first domino tipping. Kaelyra seemed delighted by it all. I just felt hollow, like someone had scooped out the best part of our lives and handed it away.
Then the doors boomed open. The herald’s voice rang out: “Your Majesties, King Eros Caelthorn of Daros!”
Every chair scraped as the court rose. Eros entered, and the air changed. He was even more overwhelming up close—commanding, dangerous, magnetic. His eyes swept the hall, lingering on me just a moment too long. My skin prickled. When he finally looked away, I was left dizzy, as if I’d run full speed into a wall and liked it.
Dinner passed in a haze—laughter, clinking glasses, nothing sharp enough to hold my focus except him. I couldn’t stop watching King Eros, the way power seemed to settle on his shoulders as naturally as breath. He was beautiful, but not in any soft or harmless way: all strong lines and golden-brown skin, a jaw that could have been carved from stone, and those impossible eyes—storm-dark, promising ruin and delight in the same glance. Even in stillness, he radiated control, the kind that made you want to see just how far you could push him.
For a while, he didn’t look my way. But then, as if sensing my attention, Eros looked up and caught me staring. He didn’t look away. Instead, his gaze traveled over me, slow and deliberate, a smirk curving his mouth—seductive, daring, entirely in command. My breath tangled in my chest. Suddenly, the room and its noise disappeared; there was only that gaze, and the secret promise of what might happen if I didn’t look away.
Beneath the surface, I caught the tension in my father’s jaw, the tightness in my mother’s smile, the way the emissaries from Daros murmured together in undertones, their eyes sweeping the hall as if cataloguing threats. There were rules here, old and unwritten, and I saw for the first time how easily a girl like me could be lost to them.
After dinner, my parents led Eros, Serenna, and Kaelyra to the tea room, the one with arched windows overlooking the forested slopes and the string of village lights shining like scattered jewels below. I wasn’t invited—a reminder that I was still free, for now. Kaelyra had to stay, next in line for a crown. I would be alone soon enough. I’d be them, married off, my nights of adventure over.
But in the meantime, I slipped out to the stable and saddled my mare, Jade, in the moonlight. The woods around Artuzawhispered with spring, pink Goddess Blooms between the roots of ancient trees, the air alive with the scent of pine and moss. My path twisted through marble arches and crumbling statues, down the long steps carved into the hillside, and out into the world.
Kalexis was waiting—a nearby village, my second home. Its stone houses rose in graceful tiers, clay tiles glowing red and gold in the torchlight, columns and arches catching the moon. The whole place thrummed with life. Music spilled out of the central square, where lanterns swayed from olive branches and the villagers danced barefoot on warm flagstones. Vendors hawked Goddess Bloom cakes, pink and sweet with lemon, and everywhere was laughter, the kind that filled your bones. I tied up my mare and settled in.
Leif was already in the square, shirt untucked, hair wild, bare feet pounding the stones as he spun with a ring of children. “Reeva!” he shouted, grabbing my hands and spinning me into the circle. Ruth joined in, hips swaying with a wicked smile, and we collapsed together in a heap of giggles.
“Try to keep up, princess!” Ruth teased, tossing her red braid over her shoulder. “Or have you forgotten how to dance?”
“Never,” I said, twirling her out into the crowd.
The village was alive—laughter spilling from every doorway, music climbing heights, the scent of roasting meats and wildflowers thick in the air. For a few hours, I let it all sweep me away, forgetting court, forgetting anything but the wild joy of being sixteen and free. I wondered, not for the first time, if I’d ever feel this alive again.
Leif pressed a flask into my hand, eyes glinting. “Stole this from Father’s stash. Don’t drink it all at once.”
I took a long swig, nearly choking. “That’s terrible,” I gasped, and handed it to Ruth. She took it with a flourish and drained it in one gulp.
“Amateurs,” she declared, and produced a real bottle from her bag. “Now we party.”
We climbed up to the old amphitheater at the village edge, legs dangling over sun-warmed stone, the forest stretching dark and endless below. We passed the wine, watching the lanterns flicker in the trees, the laughter and music rising up to meet the stars.
“So,” Ruth said, nudging me. “What news from the palace, your highness?”
I groaned. “The king of Daros has arrived. He’s marrying Serenna.” I thought of his breathtaking face, the way he kept staring at me like I was the only thing in that dining hall. What secrets hid behind those storm-dark eyes?
“You don’t sound thrilled.”
“I am, I just… I’ll miss this, them being a part of it. Kaelyra’s next, and then—me. One day they’ll lock me up in some cold castle with a stranger and call it duty.”
Leif snorted. “Tragic. All that gold, and no freedom. Want to trade?”
“Oh, shut up,” I said, shoving him. “Try living with all these rules. I’ll never get to fall in love. I’ll probably marry some old toad.”
“At least you’ll inherit his castle when he croaks,” Ruth said, grinning. “Think of the parties.”
“Gross,” Leif groaned. “Don’t ever talk about Reeva and old men in the same sentence.”
“Face it, Ree,” Ruth said, tossing her hair. “You’ve got dangerous beauty. Use it.”
I rolled my eyes, but the ache in my chest was real. “Why should I have to? Why can’t I choose?”
Ruth shrugged. “Because you’re a princess. But tonight you’re just ours.”
We drained the last of the wine, and tumbled back into the square, dancing until our feet ached and the sky turned velvet purple. I tried to memorize the gleam of torches on marble, the taste of lemon honey, the wild freedom of the night.
But freedom is never free for long.
When I finally rode home, the castle loomed against the stars—white marble, columns, and vines, half-swallowed by ancient forest. Mother was waiting on the steps after I left Jade in the stalls, arms crossed, her nightgown glowing in the torchlight.
“Why does my youngest insist on making a mockery of herself and this family?” she said, voice sharp as a dagger.
I rolled my eyes, barely steady. “Good evening to you, too.”
She caught my wrist, her grip steel. “Reeva. Are you drunk?”
“Nope.” I tried to look innocent, but a laugh escaped me.
She glared, her hair pulled tight, eyes burning. “Your sisters know how to behave. Why can’t you?”
“Oh, please. Kae and Ren have snuck out with me a hundred times. They love wine as much as I do.”
“They are about to be wed. There are expectations. I won’t tolerate this behavior from any of you, least of all the baby.”
“What’s so wrong with a little fun?” I muttered, tugging free.
She shook her head in disgust, but I was already gone, storming through the marble halls, feet echoing off the stone. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the dread of walls closing in. I didn’t care.
I turned a corner too fast, slamming straight into something solid—steel, leather, heat.
Eros.
His hands closed around my arms before I could fall, steadying me. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to the press of his fingers, the darkness of his eyes, the sudden hush of the corridor. I felt seen in a way I never had, as if he could read all the restless, reckless things inside me. I wondered if he saw the part of me that ached for more than just duty—the part that wanted to matter, to be chosen, to shape the world instead of being shaped by it.
We stared at each other. I felt every inch of myself—alive, wild, burning. He didn’t let go. His gaze lingered, and something unspoken flashed between us, a spark in the dark. There was danger in him, I realized; not just the danger of being caught, but the danger of being changed.
“Princess,” he said quietly, his voice a low thunder.
I could barely breathe. “Your Majesty.”
He released me, just a little too slowly. The air hummed with everything we weren’t allowed to say.
For the first time I wondered what it would be like to defy the world for someone. For him.
And I knew, with terrifying certainty, that my life would never be simple again.
