The shadow king's bride

Aria didn’t ask to be chosen. A gifted healer living on the edge of the magical border, she’s spent her life hiding the strange power that pulses beneath her skin. But when the cursed prince demands a bride to seal the fragile peace between kingdoms, the village elders offer her up like a lamb for slaughter.

Prince Kael has lived in darkness for years, his touch a death sentence, his kingdom crumbling beneath the weight of his curse. He expects fear, Silence, and Obedience. But instead, he gets a brave girl who won’t back down, and somehow, she lives after touching him.

Both Aria and Kael are bound by ancient magic and political chains, and secrets buried in blood and shadow begin to rise. Her presence stirs something long forgotten in him. But the closer they get, the greater the danger, and breaking the curse may require more than just love.

It may demand her life.

“If your touch kills everything,” I whisper, “then why am I still breathing?”

He doesn’t answer. But the shadows around him recoil—like they’re afraid of me.