First, Become Ashes by K.M. Szpara
Lark spent the first twenty-four years, nine months, and three days of his life training for a righteous quest: to rid the world of monsters. Alongside his partner Kane, he wore the cage and endured the scourge in order to develop his innate magic. He never thought that when Kane left, he’d next see him in the company of FBI agents and a SWAT team. He never dreamed that the leader of the Fellowship of the Anointed would be brought up on charges of abuse and assault.
He never expected the government would tell him that the monsters aren’t real–that there is no magic, and all the pain was for nothing.
Lark isn’t ready to give up. He is determined to fulfill his quest, to defeat the monsters he was promised. Along the way he will grapple with the past, confront love, and discover his long-buried truth.
Trigger & Content Warnings:
- Physical & emotional child abuse
- Graphic rape, including consent violations & nonconsensual BDSM (multiple scenes)
- Self-harm (self-inflicted burns)
- Cults
- Torture
- Gun violence
Trigger Warning Database 