TheOtherNoble

“You are the least objectionable groom of all the ones I’ve seen,” Anaisa replied seriously. 

“Thank you for the glowing compliment,” Trace grinned, “but that didn’t quite answer my question.” 
___

Anaisa is an orphan and a pariah. In an ultimate act of betrayal, her father, a Count of the Realm, is accused of deserting and betraying the army in a time of war. Not only is he immediately executed for the offense, but the king declares he must have been a fake all along! His two daughters are stripped of their titles and inheritance, replaced by a distant cousin and cast out of their home with nothing. Anaisa swears someday she will get her title and lands back, but in the mean time, she and her sister Katia have to figure out how to survive. 

Trace is an anomaly among his people; instead of revealing their son as a magic user and thrusting him into the public eye, his parents kept it a secret to allow him to choose the kind of life he wanted. Trace found himself content to rest and play in his own dream world instead of invading the nighttime visions of others.

As an adult, his choice to remain unknown is thrown into jeopardy when a mysterious blackmailer forces Trace to enlist in the territorial war between nations, threatening to reveal his secret if the demand is not met. With the war now over, Trace believes he can finally go home to his farm and live the simple, unremarkable life he’s always desired. 

When Anaisa and Trace are thrown together by a royal edict, the sisters find themselves unwittingly tangled in the web of mystery and intrigue that surrounds the blackmailer’s escalating assignments for Trace. Anaisa begins to suspect it may be connected to the plot to replace her family in the noble court. As the scheme continues to unfold, lives, loves, marriages, and magic will be put to the test to see what forces in the world are strongest.

Dreamwalker's Bride

Trace darted towards Anaisa's dream and laid his hand against its border.

Inside was fear, but also anger. A surprising combination for a dream, and curiosity overwhelmed him. Slowly, he stepped through the barrier and into Anaisa's world.

"I hate you." The venomous words were disorienting to hear from his wife. "I hate all of you."

She was lying at the base of a grand staircase, staring up at a group of men standing at the top. One was dead, lying across the banister with his throat slit, while another leaned on him like the body was a piece of furniture.

The rest, dressed in the clothing of nobility, but with vague faces, laughed at her, and she struggled to stand up. "I hate you," She said again before she cried out.

Her legs were broken, and mangled. Shards of bone tore through her voluminous skirts. Trace was horrified. What kind of a dream was this?

Stormy Dreams