Isla must repeat the phrases.

Bram Knightley is the Norman lord whose scarred authority can preserve her Saxon lands through the blood tribute. She needs the alliance to hold her title. The raw hunger between them makes every review a test of the rules they set. Their ledger reviews turn into breeding with each passing task.

He orders her to the table and demands she repeat the words that affirm her body exists only to carry the tribute line. She voices them while he claims her with his seed. The phrases mark her as the vessel for the conqueror's line.

She could walk away from the arrangement. She stays.

His palm rests at the small of her back.