BELLA

They say roses can't grow in fire.

They're wrong.

I bloomed in the ruin, learned to survive with ash in my lungs and blood on my hands. I told myself I'd never kneel for a man who could burn me. Then he walked in—cold eyes, cruel smile, every word a thorn against my skin. He promises protection, but every touch feels like a claim. I should hate him. I should run. Instead, I'm learning how to bleed beautifully.

The night my father was shot, I saw more than his killer…I saw the truth. My life wasn't mine anymore.

Ace said he was here to protect me, but the way he looks at me feels like something else entirely. He's all sharp edges, cold orders, and a past that drips in blood. Every time I fight him, he pulls me closer. Every time I say I don't want him, my body proves me a liar.

I should be finding the man who took my father's life. Instead, I'm trapped in Cassian's world—his mansion, his rules, his touch that feels like sin carved into skin. And I can't tell if I'm surviving… or surrendering.

CASSIAN

She thinks she can bloom without me.

But roses with no thorns are only prey.

One look at her, and I knew she'd be mine—whether she surrendered or shattered first. I'll keep her safe, even if it means destroying every man who dares breathe her name. And when she learns what I really am, it'll be too late. By then she'll be tangled in me, in my world, in my bed. And I don't let go.

She doesn't understand my world—the guns, the deals, the enemies who'd slit her throat just to get to me. But she'll learn. She'll learn that she's safest in my arms… and she'll learn how dangerous it is to tempt me. Because I can protect her from everything.

Except myself.

This is the first book in the Wilt & Bloom Duet. Reading order:

Ashes Over Thorns

Roses Over Ashes