The Elders said it would never work. A hybrid slave and an Egyptian King -- their love would be like fire on fire, the kind of blaze that could only ever end in ashes. They were wrong, of course. Jezza knew it would end in Fury.
*****
For Jezebel Virtua, the daughter of an Egyptian slave and a Greek soldier, the Exchange is only a distant nightmare. Every year, ten noble Greeks and ten noble Egyptians switch places, lives and courts, their lives linked through the magick of a soul tie. If one should die, their soul tied counterpart would die as well, so there could be no chance of foul play.
As a hybrid slave, the Exchange isn't even a possibility for her. That is until Prince Calix of Sparta passes her off as a high born lady, and she is forced to take the place of the fierce warrior Adom, half brother to King Ramses himself, their connection sealed in blood.
But between the threat of falling in love with Egypt's greatest tyrant and the horrible possibility of him finding out her true heritage, the soul tie looms ever greater. Because it is more than a simple guarantee of mutually assured destruction: it is ancient magick, the lifeline of the gods. She and Adom are now two halves of the same whole, destined to destroy each other in more ways than one.
As madness and war loom on the horizon, Jezza and Adom must find their way back to each other if they are ever to sever the soul tie. For if they do not, they face a fate worse than death--chaos, pure and complete.
Just when she's decided to leave the Town, Lady Cressida Belverst is forced to marry Lord Calan Haverston, the man who coincidentally knows a way out. Agreeing to marry for all the wrong reasons, can Cressida and Calan find out where their hearts truly belong?
***
It is impossible to leave the Town, but one woman is determined to escape with the help of her betrothed.
Lady Cressida Belverst has always been judged as a walking scandal. Oh, how she tries (on some rare occasions) to be proper! When her parents arrange for her to marry a rich lord, Cressida has had enough. She has to leave the Town because she will not be forced to live with a man she doesn't love. But what happens if the very man she's betrothed to is the only one who can help her get out?
Calan Haverston, the Lord of Easton, takes the risk and helps his betrothed by using his knowledge of the Town's secrets because he is as willing as she to stay free of marriage for reasons completely different. He has dark secrets he cannot share with her, and his life is not one he can likewise open to anyone. But what happens when she leaves after awakening desires he thought he has under control? And what happens when he finds himself longing for her?
Cressida goes to a completely different place, one she has only heard in stories and read in books, with hopes of finding what her heart has always longed for. But love, mystery and secrets will chase her and it will only be a matter of time before she realizes what her heart truly desires.
*This story is a standalone title in the Haverston Family series.