THE BRIDE OF ASHES

For eighteen years, Princess Elara has lived behind locked doors, hidden from the kingdom by a father who calls her fragile and protected. But when war threatens the throne, King Odran forces her into marriage with Darian, the feared Prince of Ashes, a cursed ruler whose shadow moves on its own and whose blood may belong to an ancient god. Darian is everything Elara has been warned against: cold, dangerous, and rumored to be incapable of love. Yet when she is taken to his shadow-bound kingdom, she discovers that his cruelty hides a desperate battle against the darkness within him. Their marriage was never meant to be a peace treaty. It was a ritual. Elara's forgotten dream gift and Darian's cursed blood are the final pieces of an ancient bargain designed to resurrect the Lord Beneath the Earth. And King Odran has known the truth all along. He did not raise Elara to become queen. He raised her to become a vessel. Now the kingdom that imprisoned her is demanding her return, while the prince she was taught to fear may be the only person who understands her captivity. As the boundary between love and possession begins to collapse, Elara and Darian must uncover the truth behind their bloodlines and decide whether their growing bond will save the world or open the door to its destruction. Because their marriage was chosen for them. But what happens next will be their choice.