A Crown of Star and Ash (The Fate of Ashes #1)

by Victoria K. Taylor

Her chest ached at the memory of how hopeful she was upon first coming to this castle, of finally making friends for the first time in her life. The wretched loneliness she so often felt within these stone walls scratched at her heart before she shoved it aside.

Felt this deep in my bones

All Deya had ever wanted, all she had ever craved, was the chance to fit in here at Stonehall, to be accepted—like Luc, like the rest of them. To not feel singled out . . . to not feel entirely other. Even though she craved it, she did not understand why.

She is me. I am her

Deya knew it was only to keep her safe, but she never quite managed to chase away the feeling of loneliness that followed her well into adulthood.

It would take some practice, she decided, to get used to feeling . . . safe.

Caelum was beginning to feel more and more like a book she hadn’t read, a book she needed to read.

“If you fight, you will become stronger. From your ashes, you will become steel.”