Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s

engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches.

Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands

on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with

murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly

makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly

swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past

Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet

Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to

people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The

queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires

a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it

takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favour

of a doomed love?