Freed (A Choice of Light and Dark book 4) - Signed Paperback

****** SPOILERS FOR CHAINED, LIGHT, AND DARK AHEAD**********

When Izidora awakens to find six months have passed, her sole focus turns to revenge against Kazimir.

Driven by a burning desire for retribution, she plunges into the depths of her magic, discovering that where light once existed, darkness now reigns. This new, intoxicating power draws her in as she and Ruslan immerse themselves in her training.

With Ruslan’s encouragement to embrace her darkness, Izidora sheds the remnants of her identity as a victim who was chained in a cave and steps into being the insidious bloom ready to dig her sharp thorns into the Night Fae.

While she slept, Ruslan united the Crystal, Day, and Iron Realms under a single banner and amassed an army to confront the Night Realm. Yet to secure their victory, he must forge a dangerous alliance with someone he despises even more than Kazimir. With Izidora by his side on the battlefield, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.
Because no one touches his mate and lives.

Especially Kazimir.

As the clash between these formidable forces looms, only one side can emerge victorious. Who will remain after the last battle is fought?

Freed is the final installment of the bestselling dark romantasy series, A Choice of Light and Dark. With a cast of morally grey characters, feminine rage, and a prophecy that will change the course of history, dive deep into this dark + spicy story of trauma healing and finding love. Perfect for fans of Gild (The Plated Prisoner Series), To Bleed a Crystal Bloom, and Game of Thrones.

Freed is suitable for audiences of 18+. It contains scenes that sensitive readers might find disturbing. Your mental health matters, and you should make the choice with which you feel most comfortable.

Trigger warnings: Torture, kidnapping, mentions of rape and sexual assault, nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks, suicidal ideation, graphic violence, death, and mentions of physical, verbal, mental, emotional, and child abuse. The explicit sexual content in this book contains group sex scenes, orgies, anal play, impact play, breath play, and more.

PROLOGUE
Black flames filled his palms as he stalked forward, staring down his opponent. Fury, hotter than anything he could conjure, burned through his veins as he hurled a fist straight toward the white-haired male. Smooth as water, his opponent dodged the blow, circling back to face the enraged male. “Come on, hit me. You know you want to, Ruslan,” the Angel taunted.
That only angered Ruslan more, and he charged again, only to meet air where the Angel had once stood. A growl rumbled from his chest as he squared his shoulders. He needed something, anything, to slake this rage that never seemed to dim. It had been weeks since his mate had woken with a smile on her lips, weeks since he’d heard her bright voice.
“Stand fucking still then, Zuriel,” Ruslan snarled, feinting a jab and following it up with a powerful cross.
But Zuriel knew what he planned and easily slipped to the side, countering with a swift punch to the ribs. On instinct, Ruslan lashed out and slipped Zuriel on the jaw, sending him stumbling back. A grin spread across the Angel’s face as he rubbed the spot. Zuriel knew this was what Ruslan needed to cope – at least for now. He had to calm the male so the events that needed to happen would unfold, and if he had to suffer a few blows for it, so be it.
Ruslan attacked again, and the two fell into a wickedly fast dance, limbs flying almost too quickly for an onlooker to observe. Sweat slicked both of their torsos, and wild bits of hair fell around their faces as they finally slowed their movements. Ruslan braced his hands on his thighs, sucking down air, while Zuriel wrapped his around the back of his neck and stared up at the sky.
Blue spots adorned the ribs of both males, and blood dripped from a cut just above Ruslan’s right brow. Zuriel’s left eye was purple and quickly swelling. “Feel better now?” the Angel asked, dropping his arms.
Ruslan straightened, slicking his hair back with one hand. “Yes.”
Zuriel stepped forward and locked Ruslan in his gaze. “Good. Because you need to keep it together. For Izidora.”
Guilt settled like a heavy stone in Ruslan’s belly. He glanced away, toward the lonely mountains that called to him. Beyond them, the male responsible for his mate’s continued absence roamed freely, alive. Every night, Ruslan drifted off to dreams of how he would peel the skin from his bones, forcing him to suffer a thousand tiny cuts, just to feel a glimmer of pain like the one that consumed him every waking moment.
He knew that he needed to pull himself together. She deserved better than the male he had been. Not only that, but he wanted to be a better male for her. He would deliver on all the promises he’d made to her – to unite the realms, to empower her, to kill Kazimir together when the time came.
To do that, he needed to regain control of himself and his emotions. Heaving out a breath, he said, “I know.” Then, he straightened his spine, grabbed his shirt, and whispered the words that would ferry him to Ryza Citadel, where he would finally step up and be the king he wanted to be.
***
White flames filled her palms as she wandered through the darkness, hunting for every shadow, hurling her fire into them with an anguished scream.
“Why me?” she yelled into the void, over and over and over, her throat going raw from the depth of her torment.
“Why, Goddess, why did you give me this burden to bear? I’ve suffered enough for a thousand lifetimes.” The flames fell away as she clutched her hands in her hair, fisting the chestnut strands in an attempt to feel something other than utter agony and despair.
Tears raced down her face in an attempt to reach the dark below her bare feet, running away from her sorrow.
“Why do I have to suffer at the hands of others?” she whispered, her voice broken as she sank to the ground.
“What did I do to deserve this?” Curling in on herself, she buried her head in her arms, sobs wracking her chest as she allowed herself to feel the unending pain.
The Goddess never answered her when she asked these questions. In fact, no one answered her at all. She was utterly alone, abandoned to suffer in the void. There was no explanation for why she was chosen to change the course of history; no, she simply had to accept the role and move on with her life.
She was exhausted, angry, and thirsty for vengeance. The blood she had spilled before did not dim the screaming in her head telling her she needed to fight back against the powers that harmed her time and time again.
But she was also lost, and she didn’t know how to find her way back to the world of the living – or if she wanted to. There, only pain awaited her.
Picking her head up, she gazed into the endless black around her. “Will there even be happiness for me in the end? Or will I lose him too once I go back?”
Through the fog of darkness, a beacon of light stepped forward. He glided in her direction, his white hair flowing behind him on an invisible breeze. “There will be happiness for you, Izidora. Come, it is time for you to return to the land of the living. You are needed.”
“How do you know?” she said, her voice so small and weak as she gazed up at her cousin.
He proffered his hand, and she accepted it, allowing him to pull her to her feet.
“Because your story is not finished, not yet. You will write the ending how you want it to be.”