Like any new bride, Claudia is nervous on the day of her marriage—and so is her betrothed, the foremost warrior in Naevia. From the first shy smile Claudia exchanges with her new husband Marcus, they become eager for their wedding feast to end. But when the time comes for them to learn each other alone, can their budding relationship survive the secrets that candlelight reveals? Does Claudia’s gentleness have a place in Marcus’s world, and do his scars have a place in hers?

Content: this 7,000 word short story contains explicit erotic content and is for adult audiences only.