Cursed by the vengeful Mouse Queen, Prince Nikolai has languished for centuries as a wooden soldier, his humanity locked away until a mortal woman can unlock three keys within him: trust, surrender, and union.

When Clara unwittingly ignites the first spark of trust, she's thrust into a sensual underworld where pleasure and pain intertwine. From the decadent Sugar Plum Grove to the Mouse Queen's lair of gnawed bones, Clara must navigate a labyrinth of erotic trials, each more perilous than the last. But as her bond with Nikolai deepens, she discovers that breaking the curse comes at a cost: her own soul is now tied to his realm, and the bridge between worlds is paved with thorns and silk. *** "The nutcracker stood sentinel on her dresser. Clara approached on trembling legs. In the cold morning light, he seemed diminished, just a cracked antique, his paint flaking, one epaulette dangling by a thread. But when she turned his left hand palm-up, she froze. There, caught in the whorls of his wooden fingerprints, glistened a single drop of her arousal." *** Nikolai's thumb traced her pulse. "Careful, lapochka. Here, every craving bites back."