The First Muse

Lady Jain Areyas is too young to be a widow. But after the death of her husband, the sacred blood in her veins makes her a desirable match for the King of Sorrows. Jain must enter into an arranged marriage with the deranged King to ensure her own protection, despite the difference in their age and despite the secrets she hides. If Jain wants to survive, happiness must war against love. Read all the standalones from the First Collection in any order. Enter the world of this fantasy romance, filled with plot twists, drama, and action. Hearts will be broken and mended again. Age gap and arranged marriage included. “F-for the…bath?” “Mm.” She blushed beautifully. I walked away to drain the basin and fill it again, but my blood was too hot in my veins. Slow down. Simply slow down. You cannot do this, Tohmas. You cannot…take this young Breath. You cannot lay her out on that bed and…. I heated the water, focusing on the boiling and bubbling. And trying to distract myself from the way color spread along Jain’s cheeks when I told her to undress. Isdamnit. Put your clothes on, Tohmas. Isdamtnit, stop her from taking hers off. Now. I hurried back out of the wash room to find Jain already undressed, her gown still clutched to her. It was the second time I’d found her like that. And I knew there were many things between us. But that lacy gown was not going to be one of them. I went to her. And with hardly a tug, the dress was out of her hands. The firelight shone against her, lighting the smooth skin of her belly. I traced the path from her lips to her navel, and she inhaled. “With your…permission?” “Is this still about…my bath?” “No.” “Then yes.” “You’re certain, Jain?” She brought a hand to my chest, watching my skin itself prickle as I reacted to her touch. Then, she leaned into me and kissed where she had touched, her lips lingering until I had no choice but to take her backwards and onto the bed. Forehead to forehead, I kissed her mouth, exploring the softness of it, my heart racing ahead at the way her lips parted for me. You are taking advantage, Tohmas. But I wanted to. Not to take advantage of the Breath I’d married, but to feel something that was not pain or guilt or dread or regret. To bury those feelings for a moment or ten. To be swallowed only in the sensation of her body beneath mine. I brought my mouth down to her throat and lower. Lower and lower still, until she cried out with surprise, her fingers gripping my hair. “What are you—?” --- Meet Jain and Tohmas and follow them on their quest for love through heartache.