Life was far from perfect after my mother's sudden death, but it was one I'd grown to love. And now, it's a life I'll never know again. Not after she and her two cruel sons entered our lives.My father swore he'd never love again, but just as suddenly as Merelda arrived, she became the very center of his world . . . and just as quickly, I was all but forgotten.Still, I did not complain . . . if only for my father's sake. Not even when cruel words turned into even crueler punishments at my new step family's hands.It isn't until I suddenly find my father on his deathbed and myself sold off to a sadistic lord that I finally decide to take matters into my own hands.I have to save my father, and, in order to do that, I'll have to make a deal with The Bargainer. If I fail, I'll be found, beaten, and married off to undoubtedly die at my husband's hand. If I succeed, my father will live, though at what cost to my own life I do not know.Either way, my life as I know it is forfeit . . . but at least this way, I'll be able to choose my own fate. Or, so I thought.Contains mature themes.