When a soul-bond is forged as a chain, breaking it may burn the world. Kaela Vale has already died once for love-and for rebellion. Reborn beneath a scorching soulmark that brands her very heart, she vows never again to be anyone's weapon. Yet the magic that resurrected her has other plans. Standing at her side is Elias Theran-scarred survivor, reluctant hero, and the man destiny has shackled to her with a bond older than any throne. Together they are the prophecy's spark...and its bait.As the fractured rebellion teeters on the brink of ruin, cryptic manuscripts hint that the legendary soulmates were never blessed, only engineered-bound by the first monarch to harvest their power and erase them at their peak. To shatter that cycle, Kaela and Elias must descend into forbidden ruins, dodge treacherous courts, and brave the living storm called the Evernight-all while fighting the furious pull of a passion that may only be another shackle.But every answered riddle cuts deeper than the last. Betrayals rise from within, ancient magic awakens hungry for blood, and an impossible choice looms: sever the soulmark and risk annihilating each other...or embrace it and sacrifice the world.If the bond breaks, who will be freed-and who will burn?What waits inside of BOOK TWO