Bought By the Gorgon

I am a shrine maiden of the Wilds, raised to celebrate life. Now, I belong to a Gorgon whose gaze turns flesh to stone.

My father stripped away my right to choose. He dressed me in ceremonial silks and entrusted me with a sacred duty. To ensure peace between our people and the Blighted Ones.
I walked onto the bride market auction block, knowing I was nothing more than a political sacrifice.
Then Eryx steps forward. The Ambassador of Asphodelia.
He is a massive monster who hides his ruined eyes behind a band of dark silk. He radiates the same death energy that has been destroying our lands for years. With a fortune in gold that silences the crowd, he claims me as his bride.
Banished to an isolated estate, I expect a nightmare.
Instead, my terrifying husband treats our marriage as a sterile duty. Haunted by the violent history that scarred his weave, Eryx refuses to touch me. He keeps his distance, convinced his cursed nature will only corrupt me.
I disagree. I refuse to be a ghost in his shadowed halls. So when the snakes in his hair reach for me, I reach back.
In Eryx’s arms, I find freedom. I find a music stronger and brighter than the song of the Wilds.
But our peace is a fragile illusion. An unseen enemy is hiding in the vibrant beauty of my homeland. And if we can’t learn to embrace our bond, the ghosts of his past will destroy us both.

Welcome to the bride market! Monsters bid, you choose.

This is a spin-off series to “Arranged Monster Mates”. We’re back on Alia Terra with steamy stories told by your favorite paranormal romance authors: Eva Brandt, Lia Frost, Cara Wylde, and Ava York.