Astoria has lost everything. Sickness stole her husband, and her daughter never drew breath. The vicious mushroom-like monsters burned her home to ashes, and with it, every memory of the life she built. She flees, but in the silent village she hoped would aid her, she discovers a lone, ethereal mushroom monster.
Mairuk has lived alone for a decade, rebuilding the home the humans ruined in the memory of their beloved. When Astoria stumbles in, they know they can’t let her live. But Astoria is not only soft and full of the magic they need; there’s a haunted look in her eyes. One Mairuk knows too well. Their bargain grants her mercy on one she never leaves.
Leaving her past behind feels like a betrayal of her long-dead husband. Mairuk is an enemy, a monster, and not someone Astoria should want. No matter how darkly beautiful they are.