Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort.
However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania - she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission - one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then...end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.
Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit - it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.
Why You Should Read This Book
Tropes
Trigger Warnings
A Shadow in the Ember
“I think it’s all the wicked, indecent bones in my body guiding my thoughtfulness.”
“You may not be Chosen, but you were born into this realm, shrouded in the veil of the Primals. A Maiden as the Fates promised. And you shall leave this realm touched by life and death.”
“Once you are introduced as my Consort, only the most foolish of gods would go after your family, as they would become an extension of mine.”
“There are many ways you can be taken out. Thousands. And I’m well acquainted with all of them. Your options are endless. Some painless. Some quick. This way won’t be either.”
“I was…scared. I was to marry the Primal of Death. I was anxious. Of course, I felt hopeless. I felt like I had no control. But I was there. I was still there. I knew what was expected of me, and I was willing to fulfill it. You were not.”
“Death wants nothing to do with life. None of you can be surprised.”
“My interest in you is a very real, very potent need. It’s almost as if it’s become its own thing. A tangible entity. I find myself thinking about it at the most inconvenient moments. I find myself recalling the taste of you on my fingers a little too frequently.”
“You’re not unworthy. You’re not a curse or anything like that. You carry the ember of life in you. You carry hope within you. You carry the possibility of a future. You don’t know what the Primal of Death thinks.”
“I am known as the Asher. The One who is Blessed. I am the Guardian of Souls and the Primal God of Common Men and Endings. I am Nyktos, ruler of the Shadowlands, the Primal of Death.”
“It is far easier to be lied to than it is to acknowledge that you have been lied to.”
“Because now here we are. You’re in the Shadowlands. And soon, you will be known as the Consort. My enemies will become yours.”
“He’s a monster. He’s always been a monster. Our…our father knew that. Everyone knows that. He is, as you said, of little significance.”
“I don’t know the circumstances that led to your arrival, but what I do know is that I trust no one in either realm more than Nyktos, nor would I feel safer anywhere else.”
“I do have the authority. Over you. Over everyone here and every mortal in and outside of this realm, but that is not why I have these conditions. They are in place to help keep you safe.”
“I know one thing, liessa. A monster wouldn’t care if they were one.”
“I know you should rest. I know I should…let you be, but I…If it’s okay with you, I would just like to be here with you. That’s all. Just be here.”
“I think you’re a lot of talk. You seem to have no real interest in anything beyond touching me, no matter what you claim you do with your hand and—”
“You are sitting next to me, gloriously naked, and I am intentionally staring.”
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