The Emperor's Bound Blade

She has killed twenty-three people for him. She has never once touched him without wanting to kill him. For sixteen years, Kestrel Nian has been the emperor's blade — oath-bound at nine, obedient by magic, hated by everyone who has ever watched her work. She has spent every day of her service trying to find a way out. Ansul inherited her with the throne. He has spent eight years trying to free her, and every attempt has failed. He has never told her. An assassination forces them both into the open: the binding fails to hold her hand, the curse shows its seams, and Ansul shows her the archive that proves he has been trying to unbind her since the night he was crowned. But the men who killed his predecessor would rather see them both dead. And the ritual that frees Kestrel will cost Ansul the throne. The Emperor's Bound Blade is an enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance about the difference between being loyal and being owned.