The only thing that can save the realms now is the one thing more powerful than the Fates.
After a startling betrayal ends with both Sera and the dangerously seductive ruler of the Shadowlands she has fallen madly in love with being held captive by the false King of the Gods, there is only one thing that can free Nyktos and prevent the forces of the Shadowlands from invading Dalos and igniting a War of Primals.
Convincing Kolis wonât be easy, thoughânot even with a lifetime of training. While his most favored Revenant is insistent that she is nothing more than a lie, Kolisâs erratic nature and twisted sense of honor leave her shaken to the core, and nothing couldâve prepared her for the cruelty of his Court or the shocking truths revealed. The revelations not only upend what she has understood about her duty and the very creation of the realms but also draw into question exactly what the true threat is. However, surviving Kolis is only one part of the battle. The Ascension is upon her, and Sera is out of time.
But Nyktos will do anything to keep Sera alive and give her the life she deserves. Heâll even risk the utter destruction of the realms, and thatâs exactly what will happen if he doesnât Ascend as the Primal of Life. Yet despite his desperate determination, their destinies may be out of their hands.
But there is that foreseen unexpected threadâthe unpredictable, unknown, and unwritten. The only thing more powerful than the FatesâŠ
Why You Should Read This Book
Tropes
Trigger Warnings
A Fire in the Flesh
âYou were afraid of me before, when I first lost you and brought you back. It wasnât until the end of our time together that it changed. But this time, youâve shown very little fear of me, even if youâve felt it. Thatâs changed.â
âTo become a Revenant, you must dieâlike the soul leaves the body and all that. Correct? Thatâs why Kolis didnât attempt to save me by turning me into a Revenant.â
âThen I hope she hears this, I will save you this time.
âSotoriaâs soul is in you, but youâre not her. And even if Kolis never realizes that, it means youâre not the weapon Eythos believed he created.â
âFates, Sera, IâŠI love you.â
âSo, Sotoriaâs name could be translated into my prettyâŠMy pretty poppy?â
âI know who you are, Sera, and what you mean to me. And that is everything because you are everything to me. And that will never change.â
âYour life couldâve been so fucking different. Your family never wouldâve punished you. You wouldnât have had to feel as if you were aloneânever allowed to experience what most take for granted. You wouldnât have felt like a monster. My apologies were and will never be enough. I couldâveââ
âItâs not every day that one learns their sister has truly returned to them.â
âI have a feeling Holland really likes to push that fine line he walks between interfering and casually observing.â
âBut if you handling it doesnât actually handle it? And they still show you disrespect? I will fucking destroy them.â
âSo, there must always be the Primal of Death and the Primal of Life, even if nothing more than a spark of embers remains in them. Even if they are in stasis orâŠOr hidden within a mortal bloodline. As long as the embers exist in some fashion, and life is created and taken, the balance is maintained.â
âWhat truly ails you goes deeper than blood loss and cannot be circumvented, Consort. It can only be delayed, no matter how steep the price or how often it is paid.â
âPrimals cannot sense one another when weâre in our nota formsâwhen we take the shape of the animal we find ourselves most connected to. Just as Kolis didnât sense him in his wolf form.â
âWait. Do you think to compare me to the mortal trash known as Tavius?â
âIâm sorry. Iâm sorry I didnât get to you sooner, but Iâve got you now, liessa, and I wonât let go. Iâll never let go again.â
âYou have a real fucked-up, unhelpful way of showing your loyalty.â
âIâŠI donât know much about love, or anything really. But love should inspire one to indulge in more than just violence and death.â
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