Sybelia Rhan survives the brutal initiation of the Poison Eaters only to receive a suicide mission. She must descend into the Sunless Conservatory to assassinate a sovereign as toxic as the bioluminescent flora he commands. Her blood brings instant death to anyone foolish enough to touch her. She expects a quick kill.
She does not expect the king to survive her touch.
Caught breaching his subterranean stronghold, Sybelia is bound to Vorlan Crathe in a lethal bargain. A parasitic rot is consuming the Conservatory from the inside out. Her toxic blood is the exact catalyst Vorlan needs to forge a cure. Forced into a deadly alliance, they must navigate a cutthroat court built on deception. Every shared glance is a calculated risk. Every accidental brush of skin carries fatal consequences.
As the plague breaches the inner walls, Sybelia realizes the sovereign she was sent to murder might be the only person immune to her curse.
Read Beneath the Dark for:
Touch of death trope
Deadly trials
Forced proximity
Morally grey royalty
Slow burn romantic tension