Our Vicious Oaths Summary: Dark Romantasy of Fae & Power
TL;DR: What You Need to Know
Archprincess Kadeesha Mercier has spent her life fighting—commanding an all-female dragon squadron, hunting enemies of the Aether Kingdom, and resisting a betrothal to a tyrant.
But when her father refuses to void the contract, she seeks one final night of freedom at a secret pleasure club. There she meets a dangerous stranger. By morning, her wedding becomes a massacre.
Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport is a dark romantasy of fae courts, ancient prophecies, and a bargain that binds two enemies together.
The novel is set on the continent of Nimani, divided between the southern Six Kingdoms and the northern Apollyon Court.
- Premise: A warrior princess is forced into a betrothal with a tyrannical High King, then bound by blood and magic to the enemy king who crashes her wedding.
- Core Dynamic: Enemies-to-lovers with a one-night-stand twist, fae court politics, and a pregnancy that rewrites a continental prophecy.
- Key Themes: Female sovereignty, subverted destiny, vengeance versus governance, and unification across cultural divides.
- Vibe: Dark, sensual, fast-paced, and high-stakes with aerial dragon combat and explicit romance.
- Structure: 40 chapters plus an epilogue, told in alternating dual third-person POV.
Our Vicious Oaths Summary: The Full Story (Spoilers Ahead)
Spoiler Warning: The following section recounts the complete plot, including the ending.
The novel opens in the Koppawald Forest, where Archprincess Kadeesha Mercier and her all-female Nkita squadron ambush an Apollyon scouting party.
She presents the severed heads to her father, King Sylas Mercier, hoping to prove her worth as a general and void her betrothal to High King Rishaud Timmu.
Sylas refuses, insisting she fulfill a birth prophecy that foretells her union with Rishaud will produce a son who unites Nimani.
Seeking one last night of freedom, Kadeesha slips away to Oleander House, a secret pleasure club she owns in Cinta. There she encounters an arrogant, captivating stranger named Malachi. They share an intense, uninhibited night together, each unaware of the other’s true identity and political motives.
The next morning at the palace temple, Rishaud publicly humiliates Kadeesha, revealing his spies saw her leaving Oleander House. He breaks her hand, burns King Sylas, and orders the execution of Aether courtiers.
Then six attendees shed their glamours, revealing themselves as Apollyon soldiers led by Malachi—King Malachizrien himself, who has infiltrated the ceremony to assassinate Rishaud.
Rishaud teleports away, leaving Sylas and the Aether court slaughtered. When Kadeesha’s third-in-command Samira is mortally wounded, Kadeesha strikes a bargain with Malachi. She agrees to accompany him to the Apollyon Court as his war prize and bait for Rishaud, in exchange for Malachi healing Samira and sparing her squadron.
In Zahare, Kadeesha navigates hostile northern politics. During a Moonlit Revelry, she and Malachi engage in mutual biting—an ancient ritual called Marking. This blood exchange intertwines their life forces and magic, creating a transcendental tether. Kadeesha soon discovers the Markings altered her fertility, and she is pregnant with Malachi’s child.
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Meanwhile, internal treason erupts. Malachi’s cousin Cassius challenges him for the throne.
An assassin and Lady Keeya Tareek attempt to poison Kadeesha with a Deathbane-laced gown. Before executing Keeya, Kadeesha learns that Rishaud leads the Cleric’s Rebellion from the shadows, conspiring with Lord Primes Remi Niyarre and Voshon Tareek.
After Malachi defeats Cassius in the arena, Kadeesha incinerates Voshon with her purple aether fire during a victory feast.
Rishaud arrives outside Zahare’s gates, demanding Kadeesha’s return. When Malachi refuses, Rishaud unleashes sunfire on the market square in Cygrove, killing civilians. To prevent continental war, Kadeesha proposes a strategy: publicly reveal her pregnancy with Malachi’s heir.
Since prophecy says her firstborn son will inherit a united Nimani, bearing the Apollyon King’s child strips Rishaud of his divine justification.
Kadeesha and Malachi meet secretly with the four remaining vassal kings—Vasra, Tedros, Ahjay, and Sedrin—in a sacred cavern.
Ahjay verifies her pregnancy via water magic, and the kings defect from Rishaud, swearing fealty to Kadeesha and Malachi as High Queen and High King of a unified Seven Kingdoms. To seal their alliance, Kadeesha and Malachi perform an ancient Apollyon blood-marriage ceremony.
Discovering the defection, Rishaud murders all four vassal kings and marches 100,000 soldiers to Zahare. War erupts outside the Apollyon Palace. Kadeesha, her mother Yashira, Samira, Leisha, and the Nkita fly into battle atop kongamatos, while Malachi and his Cadre clash with Rishaud’s ground forces.
In the climax, Kadeesha and Malachi confront Rishaud together. Combining Malachi’s void magic with Kadeesha’s purple aether blade, Kadeesha decapitates Rishaud. With the tyrant dead, the southern armies surrender and swear fealty to Queen Kadeesha.
Returning to the Aether Palace, Kadeesha and Malachi address the Aetherfolk and assemble their joint court.
Bound by love, blood, and mutual respect, they usher in an era of peace and unity across the Seven Kingdoms for their people and their unborn heir.
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Characters in This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Kadeesha Mercier | Archprincess and sole heir of the Aether Kingdom, General of the Nkita squadron, and High Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. |
| Malachizrien “Malachi” Diamundis | Sovereign King of the Apollyon Court, void-wielder, and High King of the Seven Kingdoms. |
| Rishaud Timmu | Sovereign of Hyperion, tyrannical High King of the Six Kingdoms, and master of sunfire. |
| Sylas Mercier | Sovereign of the Aether Dominion and Kadeesha’s father. |
| Yashira | Kadeesha’s mother and practitioner of poison work and court intrigue. |
| Leisha | Second-in-command of the Nkita squadron. |
| Samira | Third-in-command of the Nkita squadron and Kadeesha’s childhood friend. |
| Nychelle | Former Queen Regent of the Apollyon Court and Malachi’s aunt. |
| Trystin | Grand Duke and heir prime of the Apollyon Court; Malachi’s cousin. |
| Cassius Diamundis | Duke Prime of Bloodline Diamundis and Malachi’s cousin who challenges him for the throne. |
| Remi Niyarre | Lord Prime of Bloodline Niyarre, secretly allied with the Cleric’s Rebellion. |
| Voshon Tareek | Lord Prime of Bloodline Tareek who conspires against Malachi. |
| Lady Keeya Tareek | Daughter of Voshon Tareek who delivers a poisoned gown to Kadeesha. |
| Zahzah | Kadeesha’s bonded giant kongamato. |
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Book Snapshot
- Genre & Subgenre: Epic Fantasy / Romantic Fantasy (Romantasy), Dark Fantasy
- Core Narrative Tropes: Enemies-to-Lovers, Morally Gray MMC, Forced Proximity, Arranged Marriage, One-Night Stand with a Stranger, Fae Court Politics, Secret Identity, Fated Heir / Pregnancy
- Tone & Atmosphere: Dark, sensual, gritty, high-stakes, fast-paced, atmospheric
- Primary Conflict: Kadeesha and Malachi must unite their powers and form a continental alliance to destroy High King Rishaud before he conquers Nimani
- Pacing Style: Fast-paced, character-driven with aerial and ground combat, political schemes, and explicit romance
- ISBN: 978-0063397781
- Pages: 528
- Book Structure: 40 chapters plus an epilogue; dual third-person limited POV alternating between Kadeesha and Malachi
