the Last Ascension: a High-Heat Adult Romantasy of Crown Thief, an Uncrowned King, Forbidden Bond Magic, Royal Prophecy, Stolen Names and War for Throne

She came to steal one piece of a crown. Instead, the crown spoke her name.Elysant Serrane has survived by trusting locks more than rulers.Born in the Sable Fen and raised among the people Eryndor prefers to forget, she enters the royal palace disguised as a servant with one purpose: steal the ninth tooth from the Bone Crown and disappear before the new king completes his Ascension.The crown has other plans.The moment Elysant touches it, the relic separates willingly, the oracle bells begin to ring, and her name appears where no border thief's name should ever exist.Suddenly she is accused of treason, forbidden magic and starting the war already gathering beyond Eryndor's borders.Her unlikely defender is Leontes Crownmere, the commander who killed the previous king and then refused to take his crown.Leontes should be the last man Elysant trusts. He carries royal magic capable of forcing obedience, secrets from the night of the coup and enough blood on his hands to make every promise dangerous.Yet when the court demands her execution, he becomes her advocate.When assassins come for her, he stands between them.And when their magic collides, something neither of them chose begins sharing pain, memory and truth between their bodies.The deeper they investigate, the worse the truth becomes.The Bone Crown does not simply predict the future.It remembers what the kingdom paid to create one.And somewhere inside its hidden accounts is the name of Elysant's mother, attached to a debt that is still being collected.With an enemy prince approaching the capital, forgotten rulers awakening beneath the palace and the crown searching for someone to inherit its oldest obligation, Elysant must decide how much of herself she is willing to lose to uncover the truth.Because the throne does not need another king.It needs someone willing to pay.And this time, the crown has chosen her.