Lady Verna of Eclipsia is known for two things. The finest wine in the land, and purchasing young women from the slave auctions to give them a safe haven.
The Empire is a world of harsh politics, and never-ending wars on the outposts, and the emperor’s word is law.
Borgine the Third rules from his purple throne with an iron fist, and he wants Verna’s estate. Some women are born to obey, but Verna isn’t one of them.
She has built walls around her vineyards and her heart, and is determined to keep both well-guarded. But when she buys Kalen, a warrior woman, at the summer auctions, everything changes.
It’s not only her property now in danger, it’s also her heart. But Kalen has secrets, and Verna has some as well. The Wending has begun.
