When Elara Blackwood returns to Brimmoor after her grandmother’s death, she expects to find only an old house full of memories. Instead, she uncovers a sealed journal, a spiral carved in ash, and a flame that refuses to die. The coastal town she fled twelve years ago has been waiting—its fog, its folklore, and its fear all tangled with the Blackwood name. Rowan Maddox has his own scars. A fire investigator marked since childhood by a spiral of burned flesh, he comes to Brimmoor chasing a string of unnatural blazes. What he finds is a town that doesn’t forgive, a legacy that won’t stay buried, and a woman whose past is entwined with his in ways neither of them can explain. As fire stirs again in the grove and the Spiral awakens, Elara and Rowan are pulled into an ancient vow that began with thirteen witches and a single act of mercy. To stop what is rising, they must uncover the truth behind Brimmoor’s silence—and decide whether they will face the flame together, or be consumed by it.Valek and the Thirteenth Flame is a haunting, atmospheric tale of ancestral magic, forbidden memory, and slow-burn connection. Perfect for readers of Practical Magic, The Once and Future Witches, and Midnight at the Blackbird Café.
