A Fortress of Ash and Iron

From the editors

A woman on the run, the voices that guard her, and a man in the road

Ophelia is still vomiting poison when she crosses the cattle guard into Dragon Falls in a stolen sedan. Her captor, Dane, is somewhere behind her in the fog. Lily, the fiercest of the voices sharing her mind, takes over the driving. Then the fog opens on a bearded man standing dead center in the road, and he does not move.

The opening chapter is a strong piece of action, from the four-count breathing to the spin that stops three inches from Ari's knees. Ophelia's alters act as protective sisters, a bold and distinctive idea. The world grows to include a psychic Echo Layer, a hollow ruled by fear and a winter safehouse.

For readers of dark paranormal romance and suspense who can handle captivity and torture on the page.

Perfect for: Dark paranormal suspense · Heroines with protective alters · Romance with real danger

What’s inside

1. The Dragon Falls Border
2. Blackwood Hollow
3. The Broken Anchor Diner
4. The Call
5. The Root of the Rot
6. The Descent of Shadows
7. The Law of Wyrd
8. The Leak at Miller’s
9. Cold Stone Justice
10. The Slow Burn in Emberlyn
11. The Cold Crown
12. The Dark Throne
13. The Iron Perimeter
14. The Hum in the Walls
15. Forty-Eight Hours
16. The Sovereign Return
17. The Reckoning of Blackwood
18. Epilogue: The Signal and the Silence

Read the opening

The stolen sedan smelled of stale sweat, dried copper, and the bitter chemical poison Ophelia was finally vomiting out of her system. Behind the steering wheel, Ophelia’s chest was hitching in panicked, desperate gasps. Her vision was swimming, her hands shaking so violently she could barely keep the car between the double yellow lines. In the dark corners of her mind, the basement stairs were looping over and over—Dane’s boots, the sound of the deadbolt, the cold floorboards. I can’t . . . I can’t do this . . . Ophelia wept, her grip slipping on the vinyl. He’s right behind us . . . Let go of the wheel, sweet girl, Lily’s voice broke through the panic, rough, urgent, and fiercely protective. Close your eyes and let me take it. I’ve got you. The change was instant. The shaking in her hands stopped as Lily slammed into the front. Her fingers clamped down like iron, her back straightening, her dark eyes narrowing with vicious focus as she checked the mirrors. Move your feet. Breathe on the four-count. Bury the needle. Lily took the wheel with both hands, shoving Ophelia gently behind the mental door where she was safe and warm. If she let the car stall now, Dane’s high beams would punch through the fog, and they’d be dragged back to that cellar in chains.

The sample pages on this site continue the opening — and the full book is available in print.

About the author

Melissa Haines

Melissa Haines is an Appalachian-born author whose work lives at the intersection of raw psychological grit, survival, and modern folklore. Originally from the rugged ridges of West Virginia and now residing in Indiana, Melissa writes with a searing honesty that can only come from lived experience. A survivor of a two-year abusive marriage, Melissa channels the realities of trauma, dissociation, and reclaimed autonomy into dark, atmospheric fiction.