Lovin' los libros

Cynthia has always hidden from her father’s hexes behind her older sister. When her family gains independence unheard of for women, she’s relieved that her days of harsh punishments are over. But as her seventeenth birthday approaches—the typical age to be sold to a new master—death threats endanger her sisters. She now faces two options: run or meet society’s expectations.

For once, Cynthia isn’t going to let her older sister shield her from the problem. She’s going to prove to herself, her sisters, and society that her family isn’t a threat to their traditions. She willingly chooses to be purchased by a new master. A bold step that takes her somewhere she never thought she would go and to a man she might possibly fall in love with. With his help, she may just find a way to save her sisters while discovering how to stand up for herself. If she lives long enough.

The man who steps in is younger than I expect—mid-twenties perhaps—dark, thick hair, long nose, and a blank expression.

Serena recovers before I can decide what to feel about this first impression. “I’m Serena. Please have a seat.”

Without a word, he sits at the desk. A bit presumptuous, yet I suppose even if Serena has the status of a warlock, it would be hard to change a lifetime of habits. He still hasn’t looked my way. Not that I want him to, but does he even know I’m in the room? Does he care where his soon-to-be property is? What I look like? Who I am? Thomas didn’t want to see Serena before he signed the contract. Perhaps most warlocks are this way.

Yet the thought that I made the wrong choice nags at me.

“May I introduce you to Cynthia?” Serena must be wondering the same thing.

“No need. Just show me the paperwork.”

I press my lips together and try not to let his words upset me. What did I expect from a man who barely filled out his paperwork and offered an obscene amount of money? His bid for me was one of the highest: that must have been all he had to offer.

Perhaps it’s a good sign. If his conversations are always so short, I won’t be lectured as much. Father always did talk too much. Maybe I’ll be able to find a sort of freedom, not the type I have with Serena, but something in my own way.

Serena knows a few simple things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules, she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the rest of her life—worth less than the shadow she casts.

Then her ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever property, hoping for more could be deadly.

Katherine’s place is the same as any woman’s—on the shelf next to the dresses and bolts of cloth. When she’s sold to a warlock, life grows even bleaker. Her new owner is as old and rancid as he is cruel, driving her to do the unthinkable: run.

Nothing prepared her for being on her own. And she’s definitely unprepared for the warlocks hunting her down. But she must stay one step ahead because if caught, the best she can hope for is death.