Still grieving the death of my elder brother, but needing to fortify my newfound position, I'm forced to participate in a matchmaking event. No matter that I have no desire, or any of the required skills, to hold one of the intersection points on my own, I am now the heir to the United European Nation. My chosen bond mates will be selected from the elite of society. Titled, wealthy, practiced in politics - and accomplished in all the essence-wielding skills I lack. Chosen bond mates. Not soul bound, not fated. A love connection isn't even a fever dream or a fleeting thought. A glam rock star, my childhood best friend, a staid earl, a bareknuckle fighter turned archduke, or a horse breeder I don't get to choose any or all of them. Because despite the purple eyes marking me as one of the powerful awry, I am in fact an ineffectual dud. The time to find and fortify any such predestined-by-theuniverse connections - if such connections even exist for me - ran out when my brother died.