The Scattered Bones

Sellah has lost Kaid, and his body has been cut apart and hidden in the darkest corners of the realm. A mysterious man known only as The Stranger offers her a bargain: find every one of Kaid's scattered bones, and he will return Kaid to her.

The quest is close to impossible, and Sellah must make it alone, armed with her faith and her skill in a fight. The tasks are brutal, and the battles are not easily won. She presses on regardless, because she holds herself to blame for the punishment Kaid suffered.

The reason goes back to her childhood. Sellah was promised to a primordial goddess and raised to stay pure and untouched, since being chosen as the goddess' vessel was the highest honor she could receive. She gave her life to that duty until Kaid, a handsome thief, broke into the temple.

His intrusion upended the future she had expected. Despite her vows, she could not resist the longing that grew between them, and a forbidden friendship turned into a doomed romance. This is a dark fantasy romance, and it moves between the dangerous present quest and the love that led to it.

Whether Sellah can finish the trials, and whether a love can outlast death, is what the book turns on.