'I won't survive it,' I whisper. He shrugs. 'You won't survive this either.' Drunk, desperate, and reckless, Sarreth Wren thought a poker game with The Jury was just another night in the Fringe. But when her magic fails, she's forced into a choice she can't refuse: pay a debt she doesn't have, or volunteer for the Ascendancy, a lethal crucible where the strongest survive, and the weakest die. With nothing left to lose, Sarreth steps into the Trials, unaware that the game she's playing now is far deadlier than any card table. This story contains original worldbuilding, characters, and a complex magic system created by the author. No part of this story may be reproduced, distributed, or adapted without prior written permission.

And in that moment, I wanted to be kissed angrily. I wanted to be shoved against a wall and kissed until my lips bruised, his aching pain seeping into my mouth as I took it away from him. I wanted him to emanate all of the anger he felt and shove it down my lungs, and then I wanted to push back, not with force, but with air. I wanted to turn that anger into love and turn the bruising kiss achingly soft. I wanted to remind him that life is much too beautiful to hate. - Based on a true story All Rights Reserved