The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth. -African Proverb- Lyra Vale was supposed to die. Her family was executed for treason for her faults, her name wiped from the noble registry, her future erased. But Lyra survived, an orphan-and in exile, she learned how to destroy an empire. Ten years have passed, she returns with fire in her hands and vengeance in her heart, leading an army fueled by blood and rebellion. City by city, she tears down the kingdom that betrayed her. The people call her the Crimson Witch. The crown calls her a threat. Commander Darian has killed for the kingdom he serves. He is the sword his king wields with ruthless precision. Yet when Lyra is captured something begins to fracture inside him. For the witch he's supposed to hate is not the monster he's been told. It's not about needing to be saved-it's about what happens when even the strongest are pushed past their limit.

It was a baby. A demon baby. His arms were spread, and legs pumping joyously. He saw me and smiled. No teeth. No horns. Red skin. My stomach tightened. I just killed his parents. My eyes went up the fire escape to the window to the apartment where his parents died fighting me with nothing more than a kitchen knife and baseball bat. I had a good supply of guns. They were each shot at least three times. A baby. Fuck. What do I do? It started raining. Drops were hitting him on the face. His bright eyes and cheery demeanor turned uncertain. Then he pouted, water forming in his eyes. I was a Hunter. I should put him out of his misery. It would be so easy. Ten more grand today. One bullet. Just one. I steeled myself and pulled a gun. "Make it fast, a mercy shot." I breathed out, and put the barrel to the head of the baby demon. He looked in my eyes to save him from this wetness all over him. He didn't even know what a gun was. I couldn't do it. I breathed out. "Shit!" I holstered my gun and picked him up.

In a kingdom where magic bleeds and loyalty is a game of masks, a rogue girl with a cursed birthright walks the line between salvation and ruin. Born Wildborn and feared as something gone from their world, something not meant for mortals. Hunted by those who fear her and coveted by those who would use her, she must decide what kind of monster she's willing to become to survive. But Aeltherra is a kingdom of shifting loyalties. With war stirring, factions rising, and magic unraveling the bones of the world, her choices could tip the balance between rebirth or obliteration. Shadow has always protected her. But now, it's asking for something in return.

For ninety years, the Dome has protected them from what lies beyond. Each year, ten twenty-year-olds are chosen. No one knows what happens to them once they leave. No one asks. Scarlett was never supposed to be one of the chosen. But when her name is called, everything she thought she knew begins to unravel. Outside the Dome, the rules are different. Truth is dangerous. And survival comes at a cost. Some secrets were never meant to be found. Some destinies are written in betrayal.