Arsenic
In Elyndra, women are precious, beast-men are plentiful, and survival has shaped a civilization where a man's worth must be earned while a woman's is protected at nearly any cost. Siren....
In Elyndra, women are precious, beast-men are plentiful, and survival has shaped a civilization where a man's worth must be earned while a woman's is protected at nearly any cost. Siren Cross has never agreed with that last part. One of only three SS-ranked females alive, Siren could spend her life surrounded by luxury, living comfortably on the enormous stipend her rank provides. Instead, she chose the Front. There, nobody cares about the beautiful woman behind the name. They know Arsenic. Armed with a bow, a katana, and enough attitude to make commanding officers regret speaking, Siren has earned her place among the beast-men fighting to hold back the monstrous Hollows consuming Elyndra's wild territories. She bleeds beside her men, fights beside them, and refuses to abandon a life simply because society considers it replaceable. Perhaps that's why the ancient Beast Gods chose her. Siren is the first person in a thousand years to receive their Gift—and the only known warrior capable of commanding the elements themselves. But war isn't the only change coming. On her twenty-fifth birthday, Elyndran law requires Siren to begin forming the household expected of an SS female: ten beast-men, ten potential bonds, and ten lives suddenly colliding with hers. Each bond must be freely accepted. Each accepted mate will leave the image of his beast permanently marked upon her skin. And Siren has no intention of giving that acceptance easily. As the Hollows become more organized, forgotten gods begin to stir, and Siren's impossible powers continue to grow, one truth becomes increasingly difficult to ignore: The Beast Gods didn't give Arsenic their power simply because they admired her. They need her.