All her life, Vaasa KozĂĄr has been sharpened into a blade.
After losing her motherâher only remaining parentâto a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reidâs nation. All Vaasa has to do is die.
But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, she will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veinsâand help keep it at bay.
This proposal may be too good to refuse, yet Vaasa and Reidâs undeniable attraction threatens to break the rules of their arrangement. As her brotherâs lethal machinations take form, everything is at stake: Vaasa must learn to trust her new husband, but how can she especially when their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing? In The Serpent and the Wolf, Vaasa and Reid must confront deadly betrayals, unravel the enigma of her dark magic, and decide whether their growing bond is their greatest strengthâor the ultimate riskâin a world where love and power are the most dangerous games of all.
Why You Should Read This Book
Tropes
Trigger Warnings
The Serpent and the Wolf
âI got word from the High Temple that Isabel and Marc fucked so loud they could be heard until the early hours of the morning. I expect I have plenty of time to discuss this.â
âI wanted my wife to know everything she needs to in order to lead confidently at my side.â
âI am the great-granddaughter of one of the most powerful Veragi witches known to this world, and she made her home in Mireh.â
âYou call it anger, you call it fear, but it is none of those things. What lies inside of you is pain. The kind that burns worlds to the ground.â
âI believe you said a powerful man who has drunk wine all night and watched strangers dance with his wife will want her in his bed.
âTo conquer you would surely leave me dead, Wild One. But you have gravely bruised my ego.â
âI know you donât want a nation or a throne, I know you donât want this life. So if I have to wait until the end of this decade, I will. I will find you and then you can choose what life we live. Any life you want.â
âThis has nothing to do with how much Iâd like to have you in my bed, though I do hope youâll find interest in that, too, Wild One.â
âThese knots are well done. Youâll have to teach me so we can switch places next time.â
âI propose the following: You act as my wife for a time, and I will help you discover all you wish to know about Veragi magic.â
âThen let me make you an empress. Tonight.â
âPretend you love me, Wild One. And make it convincing.â
âI have learned that home is seldom a place; it is people, the most unexpected of them, that give us roots.â
âTell me that isnât the truth. Tell me you havenât already discovered there is nothing I wonât do or give for you.â
âThis is my line, Vaasalisa. Do not threaten my country.â
âDismissing your emotions doesnât make them disappear, it only gives them reason to rise later without your consent.â
âPick one you love. For if you donât love it, it will mean nothing to you, and it must mean something to you.â
âYou are my wife, and everything begins and ends with that.â
Subscribe to Late Night Reads Weekly Newsletter
Get early access to our TBR list, podcast episodes, bonus content, irresistible book recommendations, and so much more!
