Veil of Venom and Starlight

Blood magic burns hotter under starlight… and in the kingdom of Verantis, where shadow wielders hunt blood mages to extinction, survival demands a price no one returns from. Syvelle of the Crimson Thorns has spent her life hiding her power, until the winter solstice forces her into the one ritual she swore never to perform—a Blood Promise with Commander Vaelis, the executioner responsible for the deaths of seventeen of her kind. The ancient binding requires consent spoken three times, blood shared under celestial witness, and a vow that fuses their souls until death or madness tears them apart. Forced together by fate and hunted by a kingdom built on fear, Syvelle and Vaelis uncover a four-century-old secret buried in the ruins of the Court of Crimson Thorns. The last pair to attempt the ritual unleashed a curse that nearly destroyed Verantis… and the echoes of that tragedy are beginning again. As starlight reveals forbidden truth, magic twists into desire, and enemies become something dangerously close to fate, Syvelle must choose: break the bond and die, or trust the man sworn to kill her—and risk becoming the spark that reignites a war between shadow and blood. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Shadow and Bone, and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers with dangerous magic, ancient curses, and lethal chemistry.