A Halfling. My designation. A plague. An essential death sentence in the Underworld. Until I met him. A Noxia Prince. He's arrogant, a playboy, and the male who saved my life. Except he never gave me a choice, his blood tying me to him for an eternity of servitude. And I'm not sure I want to pay that price. An unspeakable past. Monsters haunt my nightmares. Most of them dead. But a few are still alive, and so I'll hunt them. Torture them. Slay them all. Even if it brings about an early demise. A courtship signed in blood. One bite sealed my fate. But someone is playing a dangerous game, and she'll stop at nothing to see me destroyed. Life is a journey to death. Sometimes the only way to truly live is to die. But I'm not going down without a fight. Note: This is a standalone paranormal tale featuring darker themes, and ends in a happily ever after. * * * I circled her throat with my palm. "You attacked a guest of my court," I said slowly. "I have to punish you, Zay." "I thought... I thought he..." She swallowed. "I recognized his scent." I sighed. "Zay, that's not a reason to attack a man in front of everyone. I've taught you better than that." Her eyes took on a faraway gleam. "I wasn't thinking." "No, you weren't," I agreed, my thumb circling her pulse. "Look, I'll talk to Yakariah and see if I can work something out between all of us. But I need you to stay here, okay? If my mother catches you before I can solve this, she's going to flog you in front of the court." It wasn't an empty threat. My mother still ruled the kingdom, and she wouldn't care about my blood bond to Zaya. A guest had been wrongfully threatened. The Queen of Noxia would punish accordingly unless I somehow convinced her I'd already handled it. "Okay," Zaya whispered, her spirit seeming to shatter with that single word. "I won't go anywhere." "Promise?" I asked, needing to be sure. She nodded. "Yes." I brushed a kiss against the corner of her mouth. "Thank you." My lips hovered near hers for a fraction longer than they should have. I wanted to really taste her. To know her intimately. To tighten my grip around her neck and f*cking devour her. No. My spine went rigid with restraint as I forced myself to release her throat and take a step back. Save it for her dreams, I told myself, my heart skipping a beat in my chest. Not trusting myself to utter another word to her, I left my suite.