The Homestead

When your Spirit bodyguard kisses you after agreeing to bring her dead friend back to life, you know your problems just got complicated. Nick thought inheriting his father's five-thousand-gold debt was his biggest issue. Turns out having a powerful Spirit bound to him through an intimate magical tether while owing money to the Guild is worse. Way worse. Kaela can kill a dozen trained soldiers without breaking a sweat. She's a war veteran who's waited sixty-three years for someone capable enough to resurrect her friend from a Spirit Ball. Now Nick's promised to do exactly that-hunt monsters, gather rare materials, perform a ritual he's never attempted. No pressure. His missing friend hasn't been seen in weeks. Assassins want him dead. Goblin armies are moving closer. Three hundred gold in interest compounds daily while Nick builds a homestead on the Fringe and tries not to think about how Kaela's touch makes his magic sing. The resurrection will change everything. Kaela's friend was more than just a companion during the war. Much more. Nick made his choice. Stay. Build. Fight. Will he survive long enough to see it through? Or will his debts, his enemies, and his feelings for the impossible woman protecting him destroy everything he's trying to create?