She was the offering. He became the sanctuary.
Astrid has survived her entire life by staying silent. As a veiled priestess, she advises a nobleman who makes every decision for her. But when a letter arrives claiming her long-lost sister is alive and captured by the trolls, Astrid is ready to risk everything. What she didn't expect? Her nobleman is in debt. And he's decided to pay it with her body. Traded to the gladiator pits beneath the kingdom, Astrid is handed to a brutal troll warrior known only as the Bull. Massive. Silent. Deadly. He's everything she's been taught to fear, and the only one who might help her escape. Bjorn has spent years shackled, forced to fight for human entertainment. But when a fragile human woman is gifted to him, begging for help, something ancient stirs in his blood. Honor. Purpose. Rage. He breaks his chains for her. Now they're on the run through ancient wilds, cursed lands, and Bjorn's broken homeland. But Astrid is hiding more than secrets behind her veil. Magic pulses beneath her skin. And Bjorn? He might not be the monster she was taught to fear... but the man fate never meant her to love.
