A Crown of Silence

They called her the Avatar of Twilight. They dressed her in gold and told her to smile. They forgot she was a person before she was a symbol. Six weeks free of the Order. Six weeks bonded to the enemy. And Lyraea Belmonte has never been less her own. Oakhaven's Council parades her soul-bond with Prince Cyprian as proof of peace - while quietly maneuvering to control them both. The Void-Rot is closing in on three fronts. And somewhere south of the border, the man who built her is already on his way to take back what's his. Archon Valerius doesn't arrive with an army. He arrives with provisions, priests, and a hand extended in protection - the kind you take from a drowning rope without checking who's holding the other end. He doesn't need soldiers. He has the fail-safe he buried in Lyraea's body years ago. A lock. A leash. A way to end her with a word. And someone she trusts has already shown him exactly where to turn the key. As Cyprian's kingdom starves without him and the Void marks him as its next target, the bond keeping them both alive becomes the one thing their enemies need broken. The bridge between Light and Shadow is the only hope either world has left - and the people most desperate to survive are the ones building the weapon to destroy it. When the killing stroke finally falls, Lyraea won't get to choose between losing Cyprian and losing herself. > A soul-bond she can't keep without breaking the man it's saving. Dark romantasy - Book 2 of 3 - Political intrigue, a betrayal close to home, and a sacrifice that costs more than her life.