Sacrificed — Multiple Authors

The allure of the beautiful young woman as a sacrifice is one that has long been a part of storytelling. From the virgin sacrifice given to calm the monsters/gods to the child who is tithe in fairy stories to a member of their party sacrificing themselves so that everyone else can continue their quest, there are all kinds of examples of women as sacrifices in fantasy fiction. Often, they are rescued by a dashing prince or a cunning wizard or some other male archetype furthering his own story. Not here. In Sacrificed, these young women's salvation comes in the form of other women, and together, they rewrite the end of the tale on their own terms. With The Solstice Kiss, Lorena is marked by the pagan goddess Awilix and told she is to be prepared to sacrifice herself to the goddess on the night of the summer solstice, six months away. But as the date approaches, Lorena is plagued with doubt -- Awilix could be what she claims, but she could also be a demon intending to devour her soul! In a village committed to Following the Old Ways, the young virgins are rounded up and a candidate selected to be sacrificed to a vengeful dragon. Kassandra is the unlucky selection this time, but she fears how the dragon will react when it learns she had shared a night of passion with her dearest friend Rebekah, and is no virgin after all. Song faces her Sacrificial Destiny when she is accepted as tribute by the dragon Farcloud, who deems her worthy of survival and allows her to serve. Song is reluctant at first, but when Farcloud reveals she also has a human form named Isaronel, Song's desires are kindled, and her service no longer seems a burden. The Spellbound servant Imogen is bound to the sorcerer Linn and charged to care for a captured rebel girl who is to be prepared for a sacrifice to an entity from the beyond. But when Imogen refuses and escapes with the girl, Linn focuses all his power on tracking them down, and now no longer cares which girl falls under his knife!