A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire, #1)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

If I had a child, or if any descendant of mine had been harmed, I would burn through both realms just so I could flay the skin from the body of the one who’d hurt them.

“What does liessa mean?” The god didn’t answer for what felt like a small eternity. “It has different meanings to different people.” The eather pulsed in his eyes, swirling once more through the silver. “But all of them mean something beautiful and powerful.”

Tavius sat in the kind of sprawl only a man could accomplish, his legs spread wide, taking up at least two spaces worth of room. What an asshole.

“I am known as the Asher,” he said, and I shuddered. Is it short for something? I’d asked when he told me his name. It is short for many things. “The One who is Blessed. I am the Guardian of Souls and the Primal God of Common Men and Endings.” His voice traveled through the Great Hall, and absolute silence answered. I could barely force air through my lungs. “I am Nyktos, ruler of the Shadowlands, the Primal of Death.”

“You should’ve thought about that before you picked up that whip,” the Primal growled. “And touched what is mine.”

“I know what I am. I’ve always known. I am one of the worst sort. A monster,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “But don’t you ever tell me how I feel.”

“Love is the one thing that not even fate can contend with.”