The bride market offers women a choice. I walked in ready to pick someone survivable—not someone terrifying. Not someone I wanted.

In Alia Terra, monsters rule. The only way out for a broken, unmatched woman like me? Sell myself at auction—and hope I don't regret it.

But when the bidding begins, it's not the sleazy merchant or the four-armed aristocrat who makes my blood burn.

It's the shadow in the back of the warehouse. Towering. Unmoving. Watching.

When he speaks, the others fall silent.

And when he wins me, I know I've made a mistake.

Because Kiakoa isn't just a monster—he's a pain hunter. Feeding on agony. Built for destruction. And somehow, gentle with me.

Until he's not.

Until he touches me like he needs me to live. Until I start craving the heat of his skin and the violence in his voice. Until I realize…

He's not going to break me.

He's going to ruin me.

Touch-starved monster. Broken human soldier. Bond forged in heat, hunger, and healing.

Standalone monster romance set in the Bride Market world.

Welcome to the bride market! Monsters bid, you choose.

This is a spin-off series to Arranged Monster Mates. We're back on Alia Terra with steamy stories told by your favorite paranormal romance authors: Eva Brandt, Lia Frost, Cara Wylde, and Ava York.