𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞? 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦? 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭. 𝐓𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐧-𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞.

"No-please-don't do this!" Seraphina sobbed, her voice cracking as she clung to her eldest brother's wrist. "I-I'll be good. I'll do whatever you say, just don't-" A sharp crack echoed through the room as his palm struck her cheek, sending her crashing to the marble floor. Pain exploded across her skin, but it was nothing compared to the terror clawing at her chest. From above, his voice was cold. Unmoved. "You will marry him." She shook her head wildly, crawling backward until her spine hit the wall. "He's a monster," she whispered, her breath shuddering. "He's not human. Please, don't make me do this. I'll die." Her second brother crouched in front of her, grabbing her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him. His lips curled, eyes void of warmth. "Then die." Her breath hitched. "But you will die as his wife." The door behind them creaked open. Heavy footsteps. Her father stepped inside, his expression unreadable. "Lock her in this room," he ordered. "She will not step out until her wedding day." Sera thrashed as hands seized her, dragging her toward the massive iron doors. "No! Please-Father, please!" But he didn't even look at her. The last thing she saw before the door slammed shut was her brothers standing side by side, indifferent as she was thrown into a fate worse than death. Then darkness. And the only thing left was the suffocating truth. She was a sacrifice. A bride to the Sinister, a devil himself. #A STANDALONE BOOK