Ember Manchester has it all. She's beautiful, she's rolling in money, and she has a job that she loves. Ember is one of the most renowned computer hackers in the world: respected, sought out by clients across the globe, and the absolute best at what she does. But she wants more, so when she's hired by a mysterious client for a job unlike any other, she springs at the chance.
She's been tasked with a near impossible job: hack into a secure government agency, take down their firewall, and steal all of their money. After a job well done, her mysterious client reveals himself as Rylan Ford: a smug, arrogant, and oh so handsome man who simultaneously draws her in and gets under her skin. He reveals that she was hired as a test of her abilities. Wanting to see if she was as good as her reputation suggests, Ember passed his test with flying colors. He then offers her a job: he needs her help running a firm of hackers that take jobs all across the world.
Initially reluctant to take the job, Ember finally agrees. Everything is going well until an old associate of hers materializes out of the past, blackmailing her for money and threatening her life. Unknown to Ember, however, Rylan also harbors a dark past, and his demons are much worse than Ember's.
Meanwhile, Ember finds herself falling in love with Rylan, who underneath his smug exterior is not much different than herself. When both of their dark pasts threaten to reveal themselves, will their relationship survive?
And more importantly, will they?
[𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬: 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐮𝐬.]
Queen Aiko Cennín awakes to the sight of her kingdom destroyed by the power of the Ember Core. The price of freedom was steep, but she can find no fault in paying it. That is, until the shadows start to stir and trouble finds her once more. When Felix--her friend and former assassin--is taken, Aiko is faced with a difficult choice: to let him go or to risk her life to save his.
The farther she wanders from the safety of Niveus, the deeper she wades into the truth of the phoenix god and its Ember Core. All actions have consequences, and the primordial gods are not so forgiving to those that disrupt their order for selfish humanity. With the destruction of the Ember Core, the world between worlds is crumbling, and the Core Reapers are desperate to mend it--no matter what it costs the human realm. Held captive for meddling with the Core, Felix finds himself at the mercy of the Reapers to pay for Aiko's mistakes. With time and the gods against her, Aiko races to rescue him before it's too late.
However, she won't have to do it alone. Magic abounds where Cores are born, and Niveus is not the only kingdom with a god-given gift. She joins forces with another Bright Soul: a young girl on a similar quest to find her missing sister. Together, they may be able to mend the world between worlds and save the ones they care for most.
But the price of freedom is always a little more than one is willing to pay.
~𝐒𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬
~Completed!