Page 168 of House Ignis

Darcy sauntered in wearing a full black tailored suit, sharp as a blade and twice as dangerous.

Void poked his little head out of the collar with a tiny squeak. I fanned myself.

"Damn, girl. You're gonna ruin everyone."

"Next up—Zaria!" Ember shouted.

Zaria slinked in wearing a a strappy, baby-blue silk dress that clung to her like a second skin.

The slit ran dangerously high, and her porcelain skin glowed under the chandeliers. Her twin ponytails swayed as she walked, black and blue strands shimmering.

Even Ember gaped. "Males. Will. Die."

"Next—Maddy!" Ember called.

Skye zoomed through first, wings flashing, before darting outside. And then Maddy entered… and the room fell silent. She looked like an Air Kingdom goddess. Her dress was ethereal white with pearl beading along the sweetheart neckline, flowing like mist.

"Aw, Mads," Ember breathed. "Ryven's gonna faint."

"Next—Rhea," Ember announced with a dramatic bow.

And gods above and below—Rhea walked in like sin incarnate.

Her dress was nearly see-through; vines of green magic wrapped and twisted artfully around her body, covering just enough and leaving the rest to the imagination.

The room gasped. Even Vesper, her boundling, dipped into a bow before exiting like the smug serpent prince he was.

"Stop it." Rhea rolled her eyes.

"Never," Ember beamed. Then she turned to me and grabbed something from outside the door. She held it high on a hanger.

A black dress. Elegant. Sinful. Made of shadows and starlight.

The girls all grinned.

Come on, Queen,” Ember said. “Let’s make a statement for your Daddy Darkness.”

I shook my head, laughing as I stepped toward the hanger, my fingers grazing the fabric of the dress.

It felt like cool silk beneath my fingers, almost alive with the same magic that filled the Umbra tower.

"Daddy Darkness," I muttered, echoing Ember's ridiculous nickname with a smirk. "If he hears you call him that, he'll probably have a heart attack—or a very visible ego boost."

"Oh, he'll definitely take the ego boost," Ember teased, already reaching for the zipper. "Now get in the dress. We have a ball to crash and a betrothal to incinerate."

The girls crowded around, a whirlwind of perfume, silk, and laughter. As I stepped into the gown, the fabric slid over my skin like a shadow's caress.

It fit perfectly—clinging to every curve I'd worked for in the training fields, the black sequins catching the light like distant galaxies.

I looked in the mirror and didn't see the scared girl who had arrived at the Academy weeks ago.

I saw a Queen of fire who had learned to dance with the shadows.

"Gods," Maddy whispered, leaning her head on my shoulder. "You look... powerful, Ava."

"I feel it," I admitted, my voice steady.

Deep in my mind, the bond gave a sudden, sharp tug. A low, possessive rumble vibrated through the silver tether—Asher sensing the shift in my energy, sensing the fire I was about to bring to his doorstep.