“He is forced to marry the commander who wiped out his family. Someone has just handed him the poison.”
Confined to a volcanic stronghold following the annihilation of his lineage, Darío is forced into a marriage with Tarsio, the very commander who orchestrated the purge. Amidst suffocating vigils marked by feverish visions and daggers hidden beneath the linen, a dangerous complicity threatens to shatter his oath. Torn between avenging his fallen kin and saving the enemy who shares his condemnation, every caress brings them closer to the slaughter.
“Not out of pride or cowardice: out of the animal habit of bracing for the blow when it is already on its way.”
“Hatred loses its edge when the man who slit your cousins' throats has bunions and wheezes when he bends his back.”
“Darío is left alone by the water. The vial burns his palm with a thick cold.”
“There will be no struggle or commotion; only a heavy drowsiness, a deep sleep, and a heart that will stop pushing the blood before dawn.”
“When the stone breaks, it does not look for the guilty: it crushes whatever lies beneath.”
“Ever since Tarsio tucked the vial into his waistcoat, Eusebio hasn't looked Darío in the face.”
“And they won't ask if it was self-defense or an old grudge. They never ask.”
“Peace is not forgiveness; it is sitting by the same hearth knowing precisely what the silence costs.”
Novella·Romantasy
Yara Rajná
She agreed to fake her love for the court's most feared heir, but the palace frost doesn't burn half as fiercely as his gaze when they are alone.
Short Story·Romantasy
Yara Rajná
He entered the imperial chancery under a dead man's name to purge his family's debts; the chancellor's daughter was the only one who recognized his hand.
Classic·Romance
Jane Austen
A spirited young woman, an aloof gentleman, and a clash of pride and prejudice that sparks timeless romance.
An Inkora Stories original, written with AI assistance under human editorial direction and review. Yara Rajná is an editorial pen name. Learn more