Page 5 of Crown of Ashes and Desire

The silence between us grew heavy with unspoken threats. I wondered where Ada was and why I couldn’t sense her presence more strongly.

"No, I didn't. I'm here about Ada. I need you to understand what kind of man Deniz truly is," I declared. My power surged with possessive desire.

“She’s marrying him whether you like it or not,” Levent stated flatly. “The ceremony is scheduled for this Saturday, and nothing will change that. We had hoped she would eventually abandon her claim to Isik Sarayi’s power, but it seems she believes this marriage will settle the conflict between the two courts.”

I leaned forward, shadows dancing along my fingertips. "Does Ada know how eager you've been to strip her of her birthright?" I growled through my teeth, watching the blood drain from his face. "Have you undermined her at every turn since Gün Ata's ascension? She has proven her worth to you repeatedly. But you would prefer Ezra to inherit, wouldn't you?" I pointed out, well aware of his ambition and desire to see his daughter take power.

“Ezra is my blood. She has trained hard and deserves recognition,” he countered.

Once I married Ada, she would officially become mine, and through the Crown of Ashes Ritual, I would completely drain her light, giving me power over Light Court territories my father coveted.

The ritual would leave her an empty vessel, her divine essence transferred to me. The Crown of Ashes Ritual was ancient, predating even my father’s rule. It required a light-bearer of pure bloodline, bound through marriage to a shadow lord. The ritual would drain her light magic, transferring her divine essence to strengthen my claim to the shadow throne. My father had been vague about the specifics, speaking only of “harnessing” her power for our realm’s benefit.

The union would create a conduit to harvest her light and consume her essence, ‌strengthening my claim to the shadow throne. My father had been searching for a suitable light-bearer for decades. When he’d discovered who Ada truly was—Gün Ata’s daughter—his interest became an obsession.

“I care little for your political games,” I said, shadow magic danced around me, “but you should know that Deniz is involved in dark rituals that would make even shadows recoil. Have you heard of the Blood Moon ceremonies?”

From his position by the door, Sarp tensed, then he nodded to me and left the room swiftly, probably heading outside. He had discovered Deniz’s true nature, and what he’d found had rattled even his unshakeable composure.

Levent’s eyes widened with fear. “What do these ceremonies have to do with Deniz? He serves the Isik Sarayi,” he said, his tone uncertain.

I made him witness Deniz’s cruelty in vivid detail. The vision showed Deniz approaching a terrified little girl who couldn’t have been over ten years old. As Deniz reached toward her, slipping his hand underneath the child’s gown, the air seemed to distort with malevolence.

The child’s scream pierced the vision when shadows writhed across the walls. I forced him to experience every moment of this child’s abuse—the crushing weight of helplessness, the paralyzing fear.

When the vision faded, he fell to his knees, trembling uncontrollably. Moments later, I heard retching from the distance. The man was weak for a light lord, but I reminded myself that he served the Isik Sarayi. Such darkness was not intended for him to witness.

It took him several minutes to return, his face ashen and his power fluctuating wildly.

“You have my blessing for this intervention,” he said, his voice strained. “We cannot allow that monster to—” He paused, and then composed himself. For several moments, he stood silent, hands trembling, while he processed what he’d witnessed. When he spoke again, his voice had regained its calculated edge. “But understand, even with Deniz exposed, I still believethe council would prefer Ezra to lead the Isik Sarayi. Ada’s emotional volatility has always worried them.”

Even in his horror at Deniz’s crimes, his political calculations never stopped. “You care more about your daughter’s advancement than Ada’s safety,” I observed coldly.

“I do,” he admitted, his composure cracking slightly. “But what you’re proposing…taking her by force? That will create chaos. Let me speak to her first, warn her about Deniz. She might choose you willingly if she knew?—”

“No. Leave it to me. We can’t risk Deniz growing suspicious. Besides, she would never agree to marry me willingly,” I stated.

“She would if she knew about Deniz,” he countered.

"Perhaps, but I need this to appear as a conquest, not a rescue," I said. Shadows coiled around my fingers. “This marriage is necessary for me to regain full control of Kara Cehennem. Ada is the key, and the method matters as much as the outcome.”

After long contemplation, Lord Ercel stood and approached me, and we sealed our pact with magic that crackled between light and shadow. Ten minutes later, I walked away, knowing she would despise me for what was to come. We would be bound, but only in magic. I would never claim her fully, and she would hate me for ruining her future.

“How did it go?” Sarp asked when we emerged into the twilight. His casual tone belied the tension in his shoulders.

He agreed. It was merely a formality, but had I not intervened, he would have allowed Deniz to claim Ada," I replied. I knew I needed to discuss Deniz's punishment with my father. Deniz's death would be swift, but I would ensure his soul endured eternal torment.

“She’s going to hate you for eternity if you go through with this,” Sarp warned, his usual lightness giving way to genuine concern.

"I'll accept that fate. She's the key to claiming my throne in Kara Cehennem, and we both know Erlik never intended to relinquish his power," I replied. I gripped his shoulders. "But after I bring her to him as my wife, he will have no choice."

Sarp just shook his head, a hint of his usual wry smile returning. “Just remember, I warned you when she inevitably tries to set you on fire with that light magic of hers.”

The decision to act came to me only hours before the ceremony. I'd spent weeks gathering intelligence while my memories slowly returned—visiting her uncle, confirming Deniz's true nature—but I told myself I was merely preparing contingencies. Then, the night before her wedding, the final emotional impact of remembering what I'd lost hit me with crushing force. When the hour approached, the thought of another man claiming what was mine became unbearable. All my careful planning dissolved into raw, possessive fury, driving me to act.

For a moment, while I prepared to crash Ada's wedding, an unexpected memory surfaced—her laughter when we lay tangled together on sun-dappled grass, her hair spilling across my chest in dark waves.

"Promise you'll never change," she'd whispered against my skin. "Promise you'll always be my Hakan, not Erlik's shadow."

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