***
Her voice sliced through the temple air like velvet wrapped in steel.
"Desmond," she said again, her gaze locking on mine with a terrifying familiarity. "I've come for what's mine."
The flames surrounding the Council flickered in submission. The five crowned judges bowed their heads—not in respect, but in fear. Even the heir of shadows stiffened beside me.
She stepped from the rift in reality like a dark dream given flesh. Her skin was porcelain-pale, lips stained wine red, and her crown—black roses laced with thorns—bled down her temples as though fused into her skull. A sheer gown of obsidian silk clung to her curves, revealing more than it hid. Her presence tasted of old blood, wild roses, and dangerous promises.
Seraphine stepped instinctively in front of me. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman's lips curled into a slow, sinful smile. "I am Calista. First Queen of the Forsaken Flame. Wife to the original Flame King. And Desmond..." she reached out a hand, "...is his heir. And my betrothed by blood oath."
The air left my lungs.
"That's impossible," I said. "I've never seen you before in my life."
Calista tilted her head. "Not in this life."
The ground shifted beneath my feet.
Kael's warning echoed in my head: The curse on your bloodline goes deeper than shadows. Your destiny was written long before you were born.
"You're from the First Flame," I said slowly. "From the old realm."
She smiled like a satisfied predator. "Good. You're starting to remember."
***
Seraphine's hand tightened around mine. Her silence was sharper than any blade.
Calista's gaze drifted to our joined palms, noting the fresh runes from the Blood Oath. A faint hiss escaped her lips.
"You dared to bond with a mortal?" she sneered.
"She's not just a mortal," I said coldly. "She's mine."
Her eyes narrowed. "Not for long."
And then—without warning—Calista struck.
A thorned whip of living shadows snapped from her hand, lashing toward Seraphine's chest. I moved without thinking, summoning a wall of flame to block it. The impact exploded with black sparks, throwing us both backward.
Seraphine hit the ground hard, but rolled up, twin daggers drawn.
"You want a war, crown-witch?" she spat. "You just started one."
Calista laughed, a low, sensual sound that didn't match the malice in her eyes.
"Oh, little girl," she purred. "I don't want war."
She turned back to me.
"I want a wedding."
***
The Council intervened.
Kael, furious, emerged from the shadows with Kray limping beside him, still bandaged from the last battle. The air snapped with energy as Kael stepped between us all.
"Enough!"
Even Calista paused at the authority in his voice.
"You cannot claim him through past life blood rights. Not anymore. He completed the Trial of Echoes. He bound himself in a modern flame. Your claim—while ancient—is no longer absolute."
Calista's lips curled. "The gods won't care for your rules, boy."
Kael's eyes glowed bright gold. "Then let the gods judge. At dawn, in the Chamber of Cinders, we invoke the Rite of Soul Flames."
My stomach twisted. "What is that?"
Kael glanced at me. "A test. Between your past and your present. Between who you were… and who you choose to be."
"And what happens if I fail?"
Kael's voice dropped.
"You will belong to her."
***
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Seraphine sat by the fire, sharpening her blade. Her silence was unbearable.
"Talk to me," I said, walking over to her.
She looked up, her eyes dark. "There's nothing to say."
"There's everything to say." I knelt in front of her. "She's from a life I don't remember. A life I never asked for."
"But your blood remembers," she said, voice flat. "And so does hers."
I reached for her hand, but she pulled it back.
"I can't lose you," I whispered.
"You won't."
Then she finally met my gaze.
"But I need to know you'll fight for me tomorrow. Not just to be free from her. But to stay with me."
I leaned forward, cupped her face in both hands.
"I will fight every god, demon, and queen. I will burn through time itself to be yours."
She trembled under my touch. "Then show me."
***
We made love like it was the last time.
No fury. No desperation. Just raw, aching need.
I peeled her tunic off, slow and reverent. She undressed me in silence, hands shaking. When we kissed, it was softer than usual. Lingering. Memorizing.
She climbed onto my lap, our skin pressed close, every breath shared.
Her hips rocked gently, taking me in inch by inch, her eyes locked on mine the whole time.
We didn't rush.
We moved together like the rise and fall of a tide, drowning in each other. Her nails scratched softly down my back. My lips explored every inch of her body.
When we finally broke apart, breathless and sated, she rested her forehead against mine.
"Promise me," she whispered.
"I already did."
***
Dawn came too quickly.
The Chamber of Cinders was a cavern of molten stone, runes glowing in every direction. Kael stood at the edge of the circle, staff glowing. The Council surrounded us like statues.
Calista stood across from me in a gown of black flame, her shadow-thorns twisting around her limbs.
Seraphine watched from the outer ring, fists clenched.
"Begin," Kael said.
The flames roared to life, forming two figures from fire and ash—one that wore my face as I was now. And one from the past. Regal. Ruthless. In love with a queen of shadows.
They began to speak—not with words, but memories.
The past me knelt before Calista, vowing his loyalty. Offering his heart. Their kisses. Their wars. Their wedding under a black sun.
The present me rose from dirt and blood, kissed Seraphine by the ruins, chose love over power.
The fire twisted, forming images of both lives.
Kael's voice thundered.
"Choose, Desmond. The legacy of the First Flame… or the love of the New Dawn."
***
I stepped into the circle.
The fire burned my skin. My bones screamed. My rune glowed brighter than ever.
Behind me, I heard Seraphine whisper, "Come back to me."
In front of me, Calista extended her hand. "Come home."
And I…
…reached for the flame.
It exploded.
***
When the smoke cleared, I was on my knees. My skin glowed like molten gold. My rune was no longer just a brand—it had become a living crown across my collarbone and spine.
I looked up.
Calista was gone.
Vanished.
Only her crown of thorns remained, cracked.
Kael smiled faintly. "The choice has been made."
Seraphine ran to me, dropped beside me, and kissed me like oxygen.
"You chose me," she breathed.
"I chose us."
But across the chamber…
A rift opened again.
And a child's voice whispered—soft and chilling.
"Father?"
Seraphine stiffened. "What…?"
I turned slowly.
And from the shadows… stepped a boy with my eyes.