Monsters’ Bride Market
MONSTERS’ brIDE MARKET
Bought by the Revenant
I am a thing of horror.
A failed experiment, stitched from mismatched parts. I carved out our place in the wastelands of Alia Terra, yet even my own kind, perfected by my work, avoids me. Hideous and utterly alone.
Years ago, consumed by this loneliness, I sent my blood to a Marriage Temple, and to my surprise, I was matched to a maiden. What happened when she saw me sent me into a spiral of despair and grim thoughts. I vanished behind my mansion's gates, forever.
But forever is a long time to be lonely. If this is my fate, then I’ll reject my immortality and be done with it. Or I can try once more…
I visit the bride market with no hope in my soul. I bid on every woman, the highest offer, always refused. Until...
She points at me. "Sold." Our eyes meet. I don’t know why this fierce, beautiful woman lets me buy her. I pull my cloak tighter, sure she is terrified. No matter. If I can have her, I'll hide my form, never touch her.
Bought by the Void Walker
I sold myself to a monster so I could kill him.
He bought me to save what’s left of his soul.
They say never meet a Void Walker’s gaze.
I made him look.
Now I’m trapped in his realm of shadows, where silence cuts deep and desire coils between us like fire. He touches like he’s starving. Watches like I’m the last light in his collapsing world.
But he’s hiding secrets—about my sister, about the enemy stalking us both, and about the bond that’s tightening with every breath.
I came to destroy him.
I never meant to crave him.
Bought by the Cerberus
Worthless. Defective. Barren. I was dead inside, living an empty life. Until death itself saved me.
For my people, the worth of a human woman comes not from the heart, but from the womb. I knew, when I didn’t bleed like my sisters, that my fate was sealed. I knew, I ran, and I hid.
But a satyr’s nose cannot be deceived. The moment one pointed at me and spat, “Curse,” I was a dead woman walking.
And then, he came. Theron. Three hundred pounds of raw power and burning hunger. A Hellhound Cerberus who looks at me like I’m something precious, not broken.
He drags me deep into the blighted lands, to his mist-shrouded city, where death isn’t feared, but worshipped. And suddenly, my barren body becomes my greatest strength. I am valuable. Wanted.
I am death-touched. His.
But to stay with the beast whose heat melts my walls and whose touch promises protection, I must enter their bride market. And monsters who bow to death don’t take credits as currency.
My new chance at life might come at a price far greater than I expected.
Bought by the Pain Hunter
The bride market offers women a choice. I walked in ready to pick someone survivable—not someone terrifying. Not someone I wanted.
In Alia Terra, monsters rule. The only way out for a broken, unmatched woman like me? Sell myself at auction—and hope I don’t regret it.
But when the bidding begins, it’s not the sleazy merchant or the four-armed aristocrat who makes my blood burn.
It’s the shadow in the back of the warehouse. Towering. Unmoving. Watching.
When he speaks, the others fall silent.
And when he wins me, I know I’ve made a mistake.
Because Kiakoa isn’t just a monster—he’s a pain hunter. Feeding on agony. Built for destruction. And somehow, gentle with me.
Until he’s not.
Until he touches me like he needs me to live. Until I start craving the heat of his skin and the violence in his voice. Until I realize…
He’s not going to break me.
He’s going to ruin me.
Bought by the Raven King
At the Bride Market, I chose the Raven King—cold, courteous, impossible to read. The kind of male who wouldn’t ask why his new bride never eats. Why mirrors shatter when she lingers. Why her skin stays ice-cold, no matter how many furs he drapes over her.
He believes I picked him for protection. His clan thinks I’m a fragile human who doesn’t belong in their dark fortress.
But the ravens know better. They bow when I pass. They bring me offerings. And when their king’s mouth claims mine, I swear I can feel warmth flood through me… if only for a moment.
Now my husband is watching too closely. Asking questions I can’t answer. Why does his mother’s ancient pet curl into my lap and purr? Why does he look at me like I’m a treasure instead of something cursed?
He says his kind believe death is only another beginning.
And when he touches me, I start to believe it too—because with every kiss, every stolen breath, I’m falling for the one male who might destroy me…