A Bargain of Bastards: Synopsis

 

As a rare female orc, Ondrine the Shield is prized for her breeding potential. Looking to escape her fate as a broodmate, she binds herself to Castle Mistmire, a keep guarding a trove of magical knowledge. All that changes when she discovers the Wizard Merdreth on the grounds. To save his own life, Merdreth offers to help her learn magic, the kind that would guarantee her permanent freedom from her clansmen.

Enter  Merdreth’s apprentice, Bastard Prince Kelos Antinovolos, preening pretty boy, with a middling talent for magic and a preternatural affinity for plants (and seducing women. Well, everyone, really.) Kelos is on the run from an irate pirate king, and Mistmire is the perfect hideout. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a strapping orc maiden who’ll teach him how to hold a sword properly. Except Ondrine is nothing like he expected and pretty much despises him on sight.

But old lovers, friends and enemies circle Mistmire, and Ondrine and Kelos need each other whether they like it or not. Problem is they have to survive each other first.