I go for my son.
A lie, whispered to God and myself every Friday as I lead Quasimodo from the sanctuary of Notre Dame to the sin of the street faire. I go for his smile, for his enjoyment. More lies.
I go for her: The Embermage.
She is temptation. She is forbidden. She is sin—yet one I cannot resist. Her fire calls to a darkness deep within me, stirring feelings and urges that must remain buried. For months, I've watched from the safety of the crowd: to look, but to never, ever touch.
Until one night, when I get far too close. She perceives me, beckons to me… then touches me, leaving her scarf as a favor of the occasion. I should discard it, surrender it to my priest at my next confession, or Hell, even burn it. But I don't.
I allow her name to fester on my lips, a wretched, sinful psalm, and desire one thing above all else, even my God's forgiveness:
The night she'll scream my name, not His.
The Psalm of Ashen Silk is the prequel novella to a series of sapphic retellings of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of Notre Dame, where Hunchback collides with The Phantom of the Opera in the streets of gothic Paris. These LGBT+ dark fantasy romances are as steamy as they are twisted, and are intended for a mature adult audience.
Please note: while Claude and Esmeralda remain the main characters of every book, they will add partners of various genders to their consensually polyamorous relationship over the course of the series.
