"We weren't meant to burn our dead."
After escaping the cult that nearly destroyed him, Kit Mosel has built a new life. He’s sure that no one in town knows his real name or what he did, until Penwell Oliver appears, desperate for help retrieving his father’s stolen remains from the very cult Kit fled.
Kit knows he should say no, but there's something about Penny he can't refuse.
Together, Penny and Kit plan to infiltrate the cult and earn their trust. Kit knows how to blend in and play their games, but Penny isn’t like him; he’s always been too soft. Too quick to trust. Worse, Penny draws attention from people who would gladly hurt him just to punish Kit.
The deeper they go, the more Kit unravels. Penny isn’t just a liability—he’s a temptation. A reminder of everything Kit thought he didn’t deserve. And in a place where weakness is punished and love is weaponized, wanting each other could cost them both everything.
Tropes: Demi Awakening, M/M Romance, Redemption, Age Gap, Hurt/Comfort
Content Warnings:
• PTSD/flashbacks of traumatic events
• Mild homophobia (not by a main character)
• Alcohol consumption and abuse
• On page mutilation
