Emory: Blood and Ashes

Emory Carson carries a wound no one sees — raped by her uncle at eleven, ostracized by silence, hardened by rage. At Legacy College, she’s known as the girl who spits fire at every man. But Levi Banks isn’t like the others. Quiet, watchful, always there. And now he’s stepped out of the shadows, right into her warpath. When hatred meets obsession, something has to break.

Emory: Blood and Ashes

Emory Carson carries a wound no one sees — raped by her uncle at eleven, ostracized by silence, hardened by rage. At Legacy College, she’s known as the girl who spits fire at every man. But Levi Banks isn’t like the others. Quiet, watchful, always there. And now he’s stepped out of the shadows, right into her warpath. When hatred meets obsession, something has to break.

I’ve hated men since I was eleven. That’s when my uncle Fred showed me what they really are—rotten, hungry things that smile while they destroy. He’s dead now. Died in prison. Supposedly.

But I still feel him.

At Legacy College, I made sure everyone knew I wasn’t soft. I poured coffee on a TA’s lap. Slashed a frat boy’s tires. Called the dean a patriarchal pig. I’m Emory Carson—the girl who doesn’t break.

Then there’s Levi Banks.

Quiet. Cold. Always watching. Never speaking. He sits two rows behind me in Psych, stares like he can see the scars under my skin.

Today, he followed me into the abandoned wing of the library. Cornered me between the shelves.

‘You’re lying,’ he said. First time I’ve heard his voice. Low. Certain.

‘About what?’

‘Your uncle. He didn’t die in prison.’ He steps closer ‘And you know it.’

My breath catches. How does he know?

‘Who the hell are you?’

He pulls a photo from his coat. Me. Age eleven. Standing beside my uncle. Date stamp: two weeks ago.

‘I’ve been waiting for you to remember,’ he says. ‘Now they’re coming for you.’