Annie_Bella_8842

“They burned my kingdom to steal my crown. Now I’ll burn their world to take it back.”

Disguised as a street thief in the fire-walled city of Solara, Ember lives a life of shadows—until one mistake changes everything.

When she steals a forbidden crown from the royal vaults, Ember awakens a dangerous fire magic—and a past she’s tried to forget. She is the lost heir to the Flame Throne, daughter of a betrayed queen, and bearer of a cursed bloodline.

Now hunted by the tyrant king and haunted by the power of the Crown of Cinders, Ember’s only hope lies in the hands of a rebel mage with ice in his veins and secrets in his eyes. He should be her enemy. But his touch cools the flames that threaten to consume her—and sparks something even more dangerous than fire.

As war brews and kingdoms burn, Ember must choose:
Claim the love that could break her curse—or embrace the crown that could destroy them both.

Crown Of Cinder

"A stranger? In the dead of night?" Ashen's voice cut like steel. "You should've brought him to us immediately."

"I did," Ember said coolly. "This is immediately."

The stranger—Theron—stood behind her, calm as a shadow. His pale hair was tied back now, revealing the twin crescent tattoos under each eye. Symbols of the Silver Court, a kingdom lost to fire over a decade ago.

"He came unarmed," Ember added. "And he's not here to spy. He's here to serve."

Kael hadn't spoken since she returned with Theron, but now his voice sliced through the tension.

Theron didn't flinch. "I've had reasons carved into me."

Kael stepped forward. "Then show us."

For a moment, Ember thought Theron would refuse. Instead, he pulled open his tunic and revealed the twisted burns that ran across his chest—runes branded into his skin.

Ashen's eyes narrowed. "Flame King markings."

"I was taken when I was twelve," Theron said. "Held in the mines beneath Mount Veyr. Branded as property. Trained to resist magic. I escaped five years ago."

"And you've been wandering since?" Kael asked, skeptical.

"I've been waiting," Theron said. "For the one who carries the Phoenix Flame."

He turned to Ember, silver eyes gleaming.

Later, after the meeting had dissolved and the others returned to their tents, Ember found Kael sharpening his blade beneath a tree.

"You don't trust him," she said quietly.

"I don't trust anyone who shows up quoting prophecies and pledging fealty without question."

"He's been through more than most of us combined."

"And he's too polished. Too calm. Like someone trained to hide what he's thinking."

Ember sighed and sank down beside him. "Or maybe you're just jealous."

She looked at him, half teasing. "You didn't like how he looked at me."

Kael turned his eyes on her—dark, smoldering, a storm ready to break.

"I see the way he looks at you. And maybe I am jealous. Because you… you're fire and fury and destiny. And I'm just a man trying to outrun his past."

She reached out and brushed her fingers over his knuckles. "You're the man who made me feel safe enough to stop running."

Kael leaned in, his voice barely a whisper. "If I could freeze this moment, I would. Keep you right here, far from the war, the rebels, the king."

"You can't," she said. "But you can hold me instead."

And when they kissed, it was with the desperation of two people who knew time was slipping through their fingers.

Kael sat alone in his tent, the broken seal of the Flame King's scroll laid before him like a curse.

He didn't know how the king had found him.

Didn't know how much the king knew.

But the message was clear. His past wasn't dead.

And now it threatened to consume Ember.

He clenched the parchment until it crumbled in his fist.

Then he did what he hadn't done in years.

And the part of his soul that would soon be asked to betray her.

Chapter 26: Silver and Flame