The Serpent Saint’s Bride

She was only supposed to steal a jewel. Instead, Lenna Rose stole a secret that could break a kingdom. Beneath the river of Velrath, an ancient guardian has been chained for three hundred years. The city calls him the Serpent Saint. The priests call him a monster. Every seven years, a bride is offered to keep him bound. But the brides were never chosen. They were stolen. When Lenna is dragged beneath the river and marked by a vow she never asked for, she discovers the truth: the saint has been prisoner, protector, and scapegoat all along.
To free him, she must steal a crown, expose a temple full of lies, and face a queen mother willing to poison an entire city to keep her power. Nerion has lived centuries without freedom, without his heart, and without hope.