Shades of Ruin and Magic

They say monsters are made. I was born one. With an angelic face and a cursed talent, I eat magic and ask for seconds. When I pass through the land, flowers wither, earth scorches, and colors bleed out—all at the command of my father, the God of Ruin. I escaped his prison, only to stumble upon a dangerous school ruled by five heirs. Girls fight to fall into their laps, even though they’re all hot mess assholes.

I have no intention of being anyone’s bride, let alone fighting tooth and nail to get there. All the vicious catfights in the school nauseate me. I have bigger things to worry about, like being hunted by my father, who’s getting closer every day. Yet no one leaves me alone. The princes believe I’m playing hard to get, so they pursue me fiercely. When they realize that I’m not as ambitious or smitten as the other girls, they place a bet—whoever claims my virginity takes it all.

Soon, I’ll have to marry the most powerful queen and rule two kingdoms. But all I want is Barbie, the new girl in my house and the only thing I can’t have. If I take her for my own, she’ll be murdered. I know I should stay away from her, but I no longer can, even if the kingdoms collapse and the world burns as a consequence. I might be the villain in the story, but without her, there’s no meaning to my brutal, miserable existence. So, I start to push her to the breaking point so she can survive the bride trials and rise above it all.

“Mine!” he growls in the throes of passion. “Are you mine too?” I challenge him. Before he can promise anything, his betrothed shows up at his door. The demon queen is pushing for a final claim on him, and a war unlike any other rages between us. I don’t stay down, but when she brings in Barbie 2.0, an upgraded version of me, to tempt him, to replace me—Everything crumbles around me.