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?