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
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
âItâs from the oldest of our language. Toria had a few meanings. One meant garden. Another could be loosely translated into pretty flower. But a more exact translation is poppy.â
âI knew what Eythos did before Kolis or Nyktos figured it out. Eythos and I were brothers in a way that he and Kolis never were. Friend. And I was one of the few entrusted with the knowledge of what Eythos did.â
âOnly a union formed out of love can be blessed. You love him.â
âIâve never stood with Kolis. Not truly.â
âWith my sword and my life. I swear to you, the One who is born of Blood and Ash, the Light and the Fire, and the Brightest Moon, to honor your command.â
âFates, Sera, IâŠI love you.â
âWith my sword and my life. I shall honor you. In blood and in ash, forevermore.â
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
âYou have a real fucked-up, unhelpful way of showing your loyalty.â
âLoving someone isnâtâŠit isnât less than being in love. Itâs just not as strong or as irrevocable. Loving someone can change. It can grow into being in love, and it can fade. Being in loveâŠit doesnât do that. It only gets stronger, and you would do anything for that person. Anything. Being in love isâŠitâs unbreakable.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
âSo, Sotoriaâs name could be translated into my prettyâŠMy pretty poppy?â
âThey can kill a fledgling Primal, depending on where they are struck, like one who is just coming out of their Culling. Theyâd be susceptible to that for many years until they fully harness their eather. But if any Primal, fledging or not, is impaled by a bone, they would remain incapacitated until it was removed.â
âItâs said that when the Arae look upon the threads of fate and see all the many different possibilities of oneâs life, they can sometimes see what may come of the love between two or more souls. And in that union, they see possibilities that can reshape the realms by either creating something never seen before or ushering in great change. And when they see that one thread, they are forbidden to intervene in the affairs of those souls, as they believe the bond between them cannot be circumvented. So, not even death of the body or the heart and soulâthe kardiaâcan break such a connection. And the joining of our souls has brought up something never seen before. A Queen of the Gods.â
âItâs not every day that one learns their sister has truly returned to them.â
âThen I hope she hears this, I will save you this time.
âI am the first.â
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