Jael Furyck doesn’t want a husband.
Daughter of a king, Jael is a battle-hardened warrior, trained to kill since she was ten years old; her plans have never involved marriage. But when her father dies, her loathsome uncle steals the throne, and fearing she’ll gather enough support to overthrow him, he arranges to marry his troublesome niece to the son of Brekka’s arch-enemy.

Eadmund Skalleson doesn’t want a wife.
He had a wife, who died, and broken-hearted, he sank into an ale pit of despair, far removed from the renowned warrior he once was. Now, he’s an embarrassment to his father, the King of the Slave Islands, who has finally run out of patience. The king has no love for the smug Furycks, but an alliance with them will legitimise his fledgling kingdom and provide Eadmund with a powerful wife.

Though as the rival kings scheme and Jael and Eadmund fight against a future neither of them wants, an ancient darkness crawls out of the shadows – an echo of the past – seeking to destroy them all...