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.

“And you, liessa, are very brave.” His thumb moved, sweeping over the curve of my jaw.

“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 continued to sink into the pillows, body boneless as his mouth left mine. He brushed a strand of hair back from my face. “Thirty-six.” My eyes fluttered open. “What?”

“Freckles,” he said, his cheeks…pinker than usual. “You have thirty-six of them on your face.” That strange, whirring sensation surged through my chest. “You actually counted them?” “I did.”

“I did the first day you were here. I counted them again to make sure ...