by: A.N. Horton
Series: Sanctum
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: April 15, 2025
Publisher: Veil & Valor Books
Ten Trials. Two Oaths. One Chance.
To Adrian, the gods were never anything to be worshipped, just tolerated. But in the walled city of Sanctuary, whether through the religious fervor of the elite or the quaking fear of the poor, the Geist have always been served. And now it’s Adrian’s turn.
Born into power and raised for greatness, Dante stands for everything Adrian has come to despise, but he may be her only hope of survival. When the two of them are bonded against their will and forced to compete together in the Trials, the god’s ancient gauntlet of physical brutality and psychological torture, they have no choice but to set aside old prejudices and work together. Navigating religious zealots, a patriarch intent on breeding the pair for power, and the increasingly obvious cruelty of the gods, Adrian must come to terms with the fact that, whether Culled or Championed, we all serve the gods in the end. And, for her, betrayal has always been waiting just around the corner.
"He told me to seduce you," he confessed, and I couldn't help the laughter that burst out of me. His own lips quirked up into a smirk, amusement dancing in his bright eyes.
"I hate to break it to you," I replied, still laughing, "but you're shit at it."
He laughed then too, a loud burst that had me grinning.
"I told him seducing you would be like trying to seduce one of the ancient serpentine beasts. But he only said that made you a true Viper."
I tried to pull my hands from the stone, but I couldn't. My palms were fused to the rock.
"I vow to obey the tenets of the Trials."
I hesitated. Did I truly want to go through with this? As confident as I'd been this morning, as resigned to follow through with Darius's last wish of me, this was...something else entirely. Something I hadn't expected.
"Make your Oath," my own voice hissed at me.
"I-I vow...to obey the tenets of the Trials," I repeated. It seemed to be my only way out of here.
"I hate to break it to you," I replied, still laughing, "but you're shit at it."
He laughed then too, a loud burst that had me grinning.
"I told him seducing you would be like trying to seduce one of the ancient serpentine beasts. But he only said that made you a true Viper."
I tried to pull my hands from the stone, but I couldn't. My palms were fused to the rock.
"I vow to obey the tenets of the Trials."
I hesitated. Did I truly want to go through with this? As confident as I'd been this morning, as resigned to follow through with Darius's last wish of me, this was...something else entirely. Something I hadn't expected.
"Make your Oath," my own voice hissed at me.
"I-I vow...to obey the tenets of the Trials," I repeated. It seemed to be my only way out of here.
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