Bound Beneath Roots and Soul

Ember, a whimsical girl with a heart still stinging from fresh betrayal from her best friend and boyfriend, stumbles drunkenly into a shimmering portal and falls into another world.‎‎To her astonishment, the strange folk of this realm welcome her with open arms. Their joy, their music, their warmth, it all settles into the cracks of her tired aching soul. And as days pass, Ember feels a strange transformation: her usually sickly body grows stronger and her spirit steadier‎‎. But wonder quickly sours into dread, because their acceptance was not of kindness but tradition. Every three years, the townsfolk offer up a human sacrifice to the Dragon, a vengeful beast still grieving the mate they once killed.‎‎ Now Ember must choose between running, fighting, or surrendering to the strange ache in her chest, the one tied to the town she has come to love… and the unexpected pull she feels toward a mysterious, handsome outcast only she can see. Ember faces a choice that would change the world forever, and redefine her own existence.‎‎