Broken or Buried

Aurora Souvenry Bruno thought the worst of her past was surviving her mother’s murder—until her father’s secret drags her into Sommerson’s Forma, a rite that trades women for power. Jacob DiFranco, forged by violent tradition and sharpened by the Family’s rules, is hired to be her unlikely guardian. He bargains with favors and presents, but when blood and betrayal reach the campus, a single line must be crossed: Jacob can either follow the Family’s code and let Aurora be used—or abandon everything to protect her.

Love here is not gentle: it’s messy, territory-marked, and bought in bruises. This is about what you pay for loyalty—and what you’ll kill to keep.