On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm’s lifelong plans come to fruition when she’s chosen as an Affiliate to the Queen.

Or so she thinks.

When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene’s position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have…

King Edric himself.

Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom. Find out in this first book in USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde’s new Ascension series.

“Cyrene,” he whispered.

Their breaths mingled in the space between them. They were so close that their noses almost brushed. His hands came around her waist, and then his lips fell lightly, ever so lightly, on her own.

Time froze.

Her eyes fluttered closed, and the taste of him consumed her. His lips were tender and appreciative, covering her mouth and perfectly fitting against her. He drew her against his broad chest, and she circled her arms around his neck.

The kiss intensified. Their mouths moved in time together, leaving her head dizzy. She wobbled on the tips of her toes as he held her in place. He started walking her backward into the bedroom. His hands dug into her dress, bunching the material around her waist. Her knees hit the footboard of the massive bed, and she could barely breathe as she realized where this was all going.

And still, she didn’t stop. The spark had turned into an inferno, flames engulfing them, and they were trapped in the blaze that was their passion.

His hands slid up to cup her face before easing into her hair. “Cyrene,” he murmured between kisses, “stay with me.”

USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde is the author of The Affiliate, the first book in the Ascension Series.  As a military brat, she traveled the world with her family, imaginary friends, and ever-increasing supply of books.  She has spent much of her life dreaming up new worlds and characters and forcing them into uncomfortable, usually life-threatening scenarios.  After graduating from the University of Georgia with a masters degree in political science, she began spending every waking hour putting those characters onto paper.

When not writing, she spends her time dancing, collecting paperbacks in the hopes of filling a Beauty and the Beast style library one day, traveling to visit her friends who live all over the country, and still reading anything she can get her hands on.  She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband and two puppies, Lucy and Riker, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

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