Page 255 of House Ignis

The ground tilted. Suddenly, I wasn’t touching it at all. I was slung over his shoulder.

“Definitely a babysitter,” he muttered.

I smacked his back weakly.

Ember snorted beside us, falling into step as we moved through the crowd.

My head lolled toward her; she was still laughing. I rolled my eyes so hard it felt like a headache.

I blinked up at Ezra, and he grinned down at me like this was just another ridiculous adventure.

“Gods,” I mumbled thickly. “I love you guys so much, but also fuck you.”

The words had barely left my mouth before another wave of pain rolled through me.

Exhaustion dragged hard at my limbs, the noise of the festival fading farther and farther away.

Then the world went black.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

The grand ballroom of Solkaris Castle was a cathedral of fire.

Vaulted ceilings arched high above, painted with constellations of living flame that flickered and shifted as though the gods themselves breathed across the stone.

Chandeliers of molten glass dripped light from golden chains, casting the entire hall in a glow that turned jewels, goblets, and skin into liquid embers.

Music swelled through the vast space—low drums and haunting strings that thrummed like the heartbeat of a dying star.

Nobles filled the marble floor in waves of jewel-toned silks and sharp laughter, masks of gold and flame glittering across carefully controlled expressions.

Power moved here. Power watched. Power judged.

My pulse thundered in my ears as I stepped across the threshold.

Silence followed me. It spread like wildfire—conversation dying mid-sentence, laughter choking into stillness. Heads turned. Fans stilled. Goblets froze halfway to lips.

Every eye in Solkaris landed on me.

My gown caught the light as if it had been sewn from living coals—t deep crimson silk fitted close before spilling into twin slits that revealed long, bare lengths of leg with every step.

The bodice plunged in a sharp V of intricate lace, dipping scandalously toward my navel and exposing skin dusted in fine gold shimmer that glowed beneath the torches like sacred ash.

My hair was unbound, a wild, burning halo cascading down my back. If they expected a grieving, broken princess… they were getting something far more dangerous.

Aether stalked beside me, sleek as sin and twice as dangerous.

His obsidian coat rippled beneath the chandelier light, muscles rolling with quiet, predatory menace.

His golden eyes mirrored mine—twin suns that promised ruin to anyone who didn't look away.

His paws moved silently across the marble, his presence warning enough for anyone foolish enough to mistake me for prey.

Beside me, Ember was storm incarnate. Amber silk wrapped her like a temptation, sculpting every lethal curve as though the dress had been forged around her bones.

Her auburn curls spilled over her olive skin, her green eyes glittering like shattered glass as she surveyed the ballroom with predatory calm.

If I was the fire… she was the spark that burned kingdoms to ash.