Oraya is the only human in a world ruled by vampires — and she has survived this long only because the fearsome vampire king Vincent adopted her as his daughter and taught her to fight. But being the king's ward makes her a target as much as it protects her, and Oraya is tired of being prey. When the goddess of death announces the Kejari, a legendary and lethal tournament held once a century, Oraya sees her chance: win, and she can beg a single wish from a god.
To have any hope of surviving a contest designed to kill, Oraya reluctantly allies with Raihn, a rival competitor whose easy charm hides his own dangerous agenda. As the trials grow bloodier and the politics between the vampire houses turn to open treachery, the line between ally and enemy blurs — and so does the one between hatred and desire.
The first book in Carissa Broadbent's Crowns of Nyaxia series and its opening Nightborn Duet, The Serpent and the Wings of Night is a dark, romantic fantasy of gods, monsters, and forbidden attraction. Blending a deadly competition, court intrigue, and a slow-burning enemies-to-lovers romance, it's blood-soaked romantasy for readers who like their fairy tales fanged.