The Sea-Ogre’s Eager Bride
ASPECT & ANCHOR
RUBY DIXON
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Copyright © 2025 by Ruby Dixon
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Design: Kati Wilde
Interior Illustration: @grgroupstock and @chekman1 at DepositPhotos.com
Edits: Aquila Editing
Proofreading: Fortunate Books
Created with Vellum
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For everyone that picks the bear
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Contents
THE SEA-OGRE’S EAGER BRIDE
A Note About the Setting
Another Note, This Time About Content
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
EPILOGUE TWO
Author’s Note
Want More?
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THE SEA-OGRE’S EAGER BRIDE
Valessa is in danger. Her town has been captured by Aventinian raiders, the women taken, and now she's on a ship destined for nowhere good. But when a terrifying, four-armed sea-ogre pirate boards the ships and demands compensation, Valessa's luck changes.
The sea-ogre demands a bride. It's the perfect opportunity for her to escape.
Valessa volunteers. She tells everyone she's very experienced with sea-ogres and knows just how to please them. She's very descriptive about it, too.
Thing is...Valessa's a liar.
She's never met a sea-ogre in her life. But it can't be that hard to keep one man-slash-monster happy, can it?
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A Note About the Setting
While this story stands completely alone, it takes place in the Aspect & Anchor universe. If you haven’t read the rest of the series, it is set in a fantasy world with Bronze Age and early medieval influences.
All you need to know is that there is currently an event going on there called the Anticipation. It is where the gods are sent to dwell with mortals (as fragments of themselves) as punishment. The gods are allowed to re-ascend once they complete tasks, but that’s not important for this story. If someone mentions the gods being absent or not at home, this is why.
Enjoy!
xo Ruby
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Another Note, This Time About Content
While I try to convey everything with a fairly light tone, some darker storylines creep into my stories. Please be aware that this book contains the following (or references them) and use your discretion as to whether this story is right for you:
— Deep water
— Seas. Swimming in the ocean.
— Sharks
— Mentions of drowning/fear of drowning
— Seriously, if you have thalassophobia this is not the book for you.
— An on page injury
— Said injury is stitched up
— Questionable power dynamics between hero/heroine
— A city conquest by a ruthless warring party (off page but mentioned)
— Enslavement
— Fawning as a trauma response
— An attempted assault by some shitty people
— Two Eggplants (I’m not sure why I’m warning you, this is probably what you showed up for.)
If you’re not sure about anything (or if I’ve missed anything), feel free to reach out!
xo
Ruby
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Chapter
One
(If your device starts your book here, please scroll back on your kindle for content notes and warnings.)
VALESSA
It’s funny how the Lords of Fate work. One day, I’m in a slave pen, chained up with seven others and waiting to be sold the next morning. The next day, the woman that was going to sell me is chained up next to me on our captor’s ship.
And she is loud.
“This is an outrage!” Lady Dywan screeches as the slave chained to her left pukes on her gown. “I demand that I be treated as a lady!” She rattles her chains, determined to get to her feet, but one look at the slavemaster and Lady Dywan sits back down, a pout on her spoiled face. “I am a noblewoman. My husband is the Lord Ruler of Parness.”
One of the soldiers on the ship just laughs. “You were a noblewoman,” he says. “But Parness has fallen to Aventine, praise be to the Butcher God.” He makes a gesture on his chest, his fists closing over his heart as if he holds Aron the Battle God’s axe. “And now you’re just a slave. And since you’re an ugly slave past her prime, you’re chained up with that lot.”
He gestures at our group, and Lady Dywan sputters in outrage. He’s not wrong, though. Lady Dywan is bony and gray-haired. When the Aventine soldiers broke through the walls of Parness and sacked the city, they stole every woman and child that could walk and that might fetch a price in the Sunswallow slave markets. We’ve fared better than the men—those that were left were put to the sword. The Aventine soldiers looted and burned all of fair Parness, and loaded the newfound slaves onto their heavily laden ships. As they did, they sorted us into two groups—the pretty slaves and then the rest of us.
I’ve been through this before, and I know I don’t want to be with the pretty slaves. Even now, the men are touching them and flicking up their skirts, enjoying the women’s screams of outrage. Nope. In this particular instance, it’s far better to be ugly. So I’ve knotted up my thick curls and fixed a stupid look on my face. I’ve rubbed dirt on every bit of my exposed skin, and it looks terrible next to the bruises on my arms and legs. I hitch up my ill-fitting Parnessian tunic, which belts right under my very large breasts and makes me look as if I’m carrying even though I’m not. And I’m tall. Tall, dull, and pregnant? I’m not going to be bothered, not when there’s prettier girls nearby.
I should probably be more upset that I’ve been enslaved (again), but there’s a spiteful sort of pleasure in being chained up with the haughty Lady Dywan. She ruined my life. I guess it’s only fair that I get to watch hers be ruined, too.
