The Reaper by Melissa K. Roehrich (Paperback)

Rayner served the Southern Islands with unwavering belief, loyal to Moranna, the Baroness who claimed to shelter gifted Fae from those who would destroy or exploit them. He rode at her side as her Ash Rider, a weapon forged to protect her cause. But truth cuts deeper than any blade. When Rayner uncovers what lies behind Moranna’s polished facade, the image he once trusted fractures. Her sanctuary is something far more twisted, and every choice she has made now threatens everything he once fought for.

Determined to dismantle the empire she built, Rayner raises his hand against her—only to pay for his defiance with a curse designed to break him. Stripped of certainty and scorched by betrayal, he walks a path carved from vengeance. Violence follows like a shadow. Grief becomes a companion. Allies appear where he least expects them, though even friendship seems fragile when loyalty has already failed him once.

Before he was the Fire Court Third, he became the Reaper, shaped by terror, sacrifice, and loss. Rayner’s journey is one of unravelling truth and surviving the storm that follows. Even when freedom is won, nightmares cling like scars, and some battles carve themselves into memory forever. This novella reveals the making of a legend, told in blood, ash, and consequences no one could outrun.