SOME EMPIRES ARE BUILT. HIS WAS BORN IN BLOOD. Lucien Cole didn't rise, he erupted. In a city that devours kings and crowns the wicked, he built an empire of silence, fear, and fire. No second chances, no softness, no survivors. Until her. Lena Hart wasn't supposed to last in his world, but neither was love. She didn't step into his empire; she detonated it. And in the ruin she left behind, Lucien found the only thing worth saving. Now everything is unraveling; the past, the rules, him. Because what starts as a warning shot becomes obsession, and what grows in darkness doesn't always stay buried. In a world where love is lethal and loyalty is currency, monsters don't hide under beds; they build empires. If you want to survive Lucien Cole, you'd better be willing to burn. Perfect for readers who crave possessive, dangerous, morally gray antiheroes, heroines who refuse to break, and a love story written in fire, shadow, and desire.