I didn't expect to be wearing a wedding dress today.
Especially not one made of thin white cloth, with no shoes, and cold iron cuffs on my wrists.
The guards didn't speak as they led me up the mountain steps. I could hear the wind howling, the chains rattling, and my own heartbeat. That was all.
At the top, the elders were waiting by a glowing magic circle.
"Arin of Riverbend," the High Priest said. "You have been chosen as the sacrifice."
Not a bride. Not a guest. A sacrifice.
Everyone said it was a great honor—to marry the Demon Prince, to save our kingdom from war. But I didn't feel honored. I felt like a lamb walking into fire.
I stepped into the circle, my bare feet cold on the stone. The runes around me started to glow red.
"Any final words?" the priest asked.
I looked him straight in the eyes.
"I hope your gods are watching."
Then the light exploded.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn't on the mountain anymore.
I was standing in a huge, dark hall with black walls and tall red curtains. Strange symbols floated in the air, and everything smelled like smoke and fire.
In front of me was a throne. And on that throne sat a man.
No... not a man. Him.
The Demon Prince.
He stood slowly, stepping down toward me. He looked nothing like a monster. His face was sharp, his black hair perfect, and his red eyes glowing like coals.
He was... way too handsome. Unfairly so.
He stopped right in front of me, taller than I expected, and looked me up and down.
"So," he said, voice low and calm. "This is my bride?"
I crossed my arms. "Looks like it."
A slow smile crossed his lips. "You're not afraid?"
"I am," I admitted. "But I'm not running."
He seemed amused. "Good."
Then, without warning, he reached out and gently touched my chin, tilting my face up toward him.
"You'll do just fine," he said softly.
And just like that, my new life began—with a demon who looked like a dream and a marriage I never asked for.