Chapter 1

On the eve of the world's collapse, when the deadly heat was about to consume everything, two beastmen came to claim me and my sister.

She chose the Phoenix—handsome and powerful—and forced the Ice Serpent, cruel and lazy, onto me.

When the heat wave struck and temperatures soared past 160 degrees Farenheit, she burned to death.

Before dying, she laced her belongings with poison.

When I went to collect her body, I was poisoned and died too.

Then I opened my eyes. I was back at the moment we first chose our beast husbands.

This time, my sister rushed to bind herself to the Ice Serpent, believing she had won.

But what she didn't know was that after the heat came the great freeze.

And I would be the one to see if she and her serpent could survive it.

*****

I had just woken up when the Ice Serpent and Phoenix showed up to propose matches for my sister Regina and me.

Regina was at her vanity, wearing the heirloom pendant Granny had left for me.

That pendant was meant for me, but our parents always favored her and handed it over.

In my previous life, after the brutal heatwave finally ended, I went to claim Regina's body.

But she'd laced that pendant with poison. The moment I touched it, I collapsed, dead on the spot.

She knew I could never let go of Granny's keepsake, so I'd go after it no matter what.

Regina didn't go peacefully. Even in death, she was determined to drag me down with her.

When she saw me stir awake, she toyed with the pendant at her chest, her gaze sharp and mocking.

"Bitch," she sneered. "This time, I'll make sure you suffer in the heat. I want to watch you roast alive."

That was when I realized she had come back, too. It didn't take long to figure out what she was planning.

What she didn't know was that the Ice Serpent wasn't just lazy and useless.

He was a filthy scoundrel—drinking, gambling, womanizing—every vice one could name, he wallowed in it.

In my previous life, once the heatwave began, I was stuck living with him. Thanks to his presence, I didn't have to fear the heat.

But food was another story. He never earned a dime, and during those scorching days, he'd shove me out the door to scavenge for something to eat.

More than once, I nearly died under the blazing sun.

And when I dragged myself home, I still had to tend to him.

Whenever he was in a foul mood, he'd pawn me off to other serpents, letting them do whatever they pleased.

The times I resisted, his sharp fangs cut into me. There wasn't an inch of my skin left unmarked.

Even without Regina's poison, it was only a matter of time before the Ice Serpent killed me.

Besides, Regina died far too soon last time. She never lived long enough to know the real nightmare—the cold that followed the heatwave.

The Ice Serpent's place was already like an ice cellar. I almost looked forward to watching them suffer once the frost rolled in.

Still, I wasn't about to let go of the Ice Serpent just yet.

"Regina, are you sure Mom and Dad will let you marry the Ice Serpent?" I asked.

She blinked, caught off guard. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"The Ice Serpent is lazy and useless, with no real skills. But the Phoenix is rich, handsome, and practically runs this city. You know how bossy Mom and Dad are, and how they dote on you. Are you sure they'll let you end up with the Ice Serpent?" I said.

Her brow furrowed. "Winona, what do you want?" she asked.

"Give me your pendant," I said. "On the wedding day, we'll both be in veils. We look so much alike that no one will know the difference. Let me take your place and marry the Phoenix. You can keep the Ice Serpent all to yourself."

I'd already set my sights on marrying the Phoenix, but I still wanted to try my luck and get Granny's pendant back.

Regina hesitated, so I pressed harder. "Once the apocalypse hits, that pendant won't be worth a thing. You won't even trade it for a block of ice. Do you really want to roast alive again?"

The memory of being cooked in the heatwave made her shudder. She yanked off the pendant and shoved it at me before rushing off to find the Ice Serpent. She had to get in good with him early.

The moment I held the pendant, I swore I felt Granny's warmth.

Before I knew it, my tears dripped onto the pendant, and a hidden space opened inside.

So that was Granny's true reason for leaving it to me.

I shut my eyes, focused, and instantly the whole table and all the food vanished into the space.

With another thought, the table and food reappeared.

I tested everything—beds, TVs, fridges—anything I tried slipped inside easily. The space seemed endless. And the wildest part was that the food I had stored an hour ago stayed warm when I brought it out again.

In other words, anything I put inside always stayed at the same temperature as when I put it in.

It meant that no matter how hot or cold the world became, I'd always have fresh food ready.

*****

In the end, our parents and the matchmaker arranged the marriages. Regina was given to the Phoenix, and I got stuck with the Ice Serpent.

On the wedding day, two cars waited out front.

The Phoenix's ride was pure extravagance—solid gold, with his whole crew rolling up in Maybachs. The whole scene was next-level lavish.

Meanwhile, the Ice Serpent showed up in a beat-up old Volkswagen Santana. He'd even borrowed money just to afford that.

He was so cold and distant that only a handful of relatives bothered to show up for his side of the wedding.

Regina shivered but still sneered at me.

"Still as clueless as ever," she spat. "You think marrying rich will make you a trophy wife? Everything you see now is just smoke and mirrors. You won't even know it's coming when you drop dead."

I ignored her and stepped up to the Phoenix, holding out my hand.

The Phoenix, Casper Lewis, slid a rare pink diamond ring onto my finger. Rumor had it, one of those could buy an entire building.

I'd seen that ring before. In my previous life, Regina flaunted it in front of me every chance she got.

But now, the massive diamond caught the light, mirroring the intensity in Casper's eyes as it finally rested on my hand.

Before this, I was stressing about money, since stocking up my space was gonna cost a ton.

But now money was no longer an issue. I'd sell the ring in a few days, and with the cash, I could fill up my storage with everything I needed. No matter what happened in the world, I wouldn't have to worry about surviving.

And with the apocalypse right around the corner, time was running short.

Casper didn't notice a thing. He lifted me into the solid gold car and set me inside.

My hand brushed against the golden doorframe. I almost pulled out my phone to check the gold prices, just to see how much this car could fetch.

I barely spared a glance at the way Casper was watching me.

Then Casper sat down beside me and took my hand. My whole body trembled.

Instinctively, I pulled away. Memories of being tangled up by those snakes in my previous life flooded back.

Since coming back to life, I had no interest in love. All I wanted was peace and survival.

Casper felt me resist and frowned. He pulled his hand back without a word, then told the driver to head home.

In the rearview mirror, I saw Regina's face twisted in misery. Forced to ride in that junky Santana with Lance Crawford, the Ice Serpent, she clenched her teeth and climbed in.

I couldn't help but smirk inside. Regina should enjoy her time in that den of snakes. She deserved it.