A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire 1)

The god tossed the babe so it landed beside the male mortal at the edge of the goddess’s shimmering gown.

None of this concerned me. None of what the gods chose to do concerned any mortal. We all knew that while the gods could be benevolent and giving, many could be cruel, and they could be vicious when offended. Every mortal was taught that from birth. The mortal man could’ve done something to earn their wrath, but that was a baby—an innocent that the god had tossed like a piece of trash.

Still, the last thing I should be doing was curling my fingers around the hilt of my shadowstone dagger—a blade that could very well kill a god. But the horror had given way to scalding fury. I was no longer empty and hollow. I was full, brimming with dark rage. I doubted I would be able to take out both of them, but I was confident that I could get him before I finally came face to face once more with the Primal of Death. No part of me doubted that my life would end tonight.

And another tiny, hidden part of me, one born the moment my mother’s slap had stung my cheek, had stopped caring if I lived or died.

I stepped out from around the building—

The only warning was the stir of air around me—a breeze that smelled of something clean and citrusy.

A hand clamped down on my mouth, and a strange jolt went through me at the exact moment an arm folded around me, pinning my arms to my sides. The shock of the contact—the jolt of someone touching me, touching my skin with theirs—cost me the split second I had to break the hold. I was jerked back against the hard wall of a chest.

“I wouldn’t make a sound if I were you.”

Chapter 2

The warning came from a male voice, spoken barely above a whisper directly into my ear as he lifted me off my feet. Shock blasted through me. He carried me back from the courtyard with stunning ease, as if I were nothing more than a small child. And I was not small, not in height nor weight, but the male was also extraordinarily fast. In one heartbeat, he’d taken me into one of the nearby vine tunnels.

“I’m not sure what you planned to do back there,” the male spoke again. Alarm rang through me as clear and loud as the bells that rang every morning from the Sun Temple. “But I can assure you, it would’ve ended disastrously for you.”

The moment he let me go, things would end disastrously for him.

My heart thumped heavily, and I tried to wiggle free. His hold around my waist only tightened as he stepped farther into the tunnel where only thin streaks of moonlight slipped between the thick trailing plants, and the bushy, sweetly scented blossoms. Stretching my fingers, I reached for the hilt of my dagger as I twisted my head to the side, attempting to dislodge his hand. I was unsuccessful in both endeavors.

Panic-laced frustration burned through me. I wasn’t used to being handled like this outside of training or fighting. Not even during my time at The Jade. The sensations of his hand over my mouth, his fingers resting against my cheek, and being held so tightly—being held at all—was nearly as overwhelming as the realization that I was trapped.

I curled my legs up and kicked out into nothing but air. I did it again and again, swinging my legs back and forward until the muscles in my stomach protested.

“And whatever you’re planning to do now…” he continued, standing completely still—my movements hadn’t rocked him even an inch. He almost sounded bored. “Also won’t end well for you.”

Breathing heavily against his hand, I allowed my body to go limp so I could think. The man was strong, able to hold my dead weight with ease. I wasn’t going to break free by struggling like a wild animal.

Be smart, Sera. Think. I focused on the feel of him, trying to gauge his height. The chest pressed against my back was broad and hard…and cold. As was the hand against my mouth. It reminded me of how my skin felt after entering the lake. I shifted, drawing a leg up to run my booted foot down his leg to find where his knee was.

“On second thought…” His voice was full of smoke, a decadent drawl as I drew my foot up the side of his leg. There was something odd about his voice. It had a shadowy lilt that struck a chord of familiarity— “I am thoroughly interested in exactly what you’re attempting to do.”

My eyes narrowed as fury eroded the panic. I found the curve of his knee and then jerked my leg up to gain enough space to deliver a brutal—