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

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Will you try to stab me?” “I…hope not.” “You hope?” “If you try to tell me what to do or grab me again, I am likely to lose that hope,” I told him.

“I meant that since you seem pretty—” “Thank you.”

“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.”

“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.”

“You lie so prettily,” he murmured.

“Thoughts and many prayers.”

“You are the heir to the lands and seas, skies and realms. A Queen instead of a King. You are the Primal of Life.”