Kieran Blackwell is a ghost. A cleaner for the Thorns Society. A man whose entire existence is defined by "The Partition"—the mental wall that separates the man from the monster. He doesn't ask questions. He doesn't make mistakes. Until he is sent to retrieve Julien Marchetti.
Julien Marchetti is a thief. The disowned son of a dead Architect, he stole the Society’s most dangerous secrets and ran. He expected to be killed. He didn't expect to be caught by a man who looks at him like a tactical problem and touches him like a ruin.
Captured and zip-tied in the back of a grey Fiat, Julien should be terrified. Instead, he’s watching Kieran’s absolute control fracture.
When a kill order is issued for Julien, Kieran faces a choice that isn't in his programming: follow orders and watch Julien die, or break the only vow he’s ever made.
Now, they are running. From Milan to the Alps, from safehouses to the English coast, the hunter has become the shield. But the Society is watching, and the only way out is to go back to exactly where it started.
Half a continent of running. A shattered partition. One cruel vow.
"I didn't save your life to let you go."
CRUEL VOW is book 2 in the Thorns Society series. It features a high-angst, high-heat MM romance between a repressed assassin and a defiant thief. Expect extreme forced proximity, hurt / comfort, and a dangerously possessive protector who will burn the world down to keep his target safe.
Content Note:
This is a Dark Corporate Thriller Romance intended for mature audiences (18+). It contains explicit language, graphic violence, high-stakes psychological tension, and explicit intimate scenes (including intense power dynamics). For a detailed list of specific content warnings, please check the beginning of the book. Read responsibly.
It can be read as a standalone romance, but reading book 1 is highly recommended for the overarching political plot.
