Moonbound

Moonbound by Jess Rae is a dark fantasy romance where every vow can become a weapon—and every whisper can open a door. Seren West carries a cursed bloodline that the lake beneath her kingdom can hear. Marked "Moonbound" by an ancient bargain sealed in grief, Seren has spent her life fighting a pull that doesn't feel like magic so much as ownership. When a string of disappearances rocks the keep and the stone itself begins to seep with black water, Seren is forced into an uneasy alliance with Lucien—the cold, ruthless king she's sworn to despise. Lucien's power is absolute: a single command can bend men, lock doors, still riots. But the lake wants that power for itself, and it's learning how to turn mouths into gates. As the keep's hidden tunnels wake and a fanatical Cantor works to resurrect the original bargain, Seren and Lucien are pushed from enemies to something far more dangerous—two people bound by necessity, then by choice, then by a tether the lake is determined to twist into a chain. To survive, they must do the unthinkable: speak the buried truth aloud, rewrite a blood contract older than the crown, and teach an entire fortress to stay awake together—breathing, counting, refusing to offer prayers the water can steal. But when love becomes the final leverage point, Seren and Lucien must decide what they're willing to pay… and what they will never give. Perfect for readers who love: enemies-to-lovers tension, cursed bloodlines, gothic castles, sinister magic, slow-burn romance, and dark, atmospheric fantasy with high stakes and a fiercely earned HEA.