The Mari Lwyd of Atherton.

One ancient horse skull. One tech-industry burnout. And a battle of wits that might just break the world.

Judy Laverthon is professionally unimpressed. As a senior HR manager in the heart of Silicon Valley, she's dealt with ego-tripping CEOs and "disruptive" IT geniuses. But she isn't prepared for the troupe of Welsh performers who show up at her neighborhood's New Year's Eve Parade. They are ethereal, incredibly beautiful, and don't seem to understand how coffee machines and other household appliances work.

Then there's Elric.

Tapped to play the Mari Lwyd, a skeletal ghost-horse that demands entry through song and rhyme, Elric expects a quick lark in the mortal world to cure his millennial-scale boredom. He's a high-born Elf of the Hidden Realm, used to winning every duel. But when he meets Judy at the threshold, she doesn't just trade verses with him. She beats him at his own game, accidentally binding his soul to the zip code of Atherton, California.

Now Elric has traded his silver robes for casual clothes, trying to navigate the world of high-risk coffee and Bay Area traffic while his "glamour" starts to leak. Judy is trying to figure out why her new houseguest literally glows when he's happy, and why she's starting to find his 7,000-year-old pickup lines charming.

But the Hidden Realm is calling its prince back, and they don't take "no" for an answer. As ancient threats descend on Silicon Valley, Judy and Elric have to decide if their holiday fling can survive the reality of two different worlds, and if love is worth giving up immortality for a mortgage.

Step into the threshold. Trade a rhyme. Lose your heart.

Grab your copy of The Mari Lwyd of Atherton love story

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