An assassin sent to guard a king. A vow written in blood. A city that burns when love is true.

When the shadow guild loans Eiran a new name, they also give him a single order—enter Solareth's palace as a royal guard and kill the lion-eyed king. Eiran has survived by kneeling to the wrong gods and sharpening his mouth into a weapon; wearing a uniform is just another disguise.

Kaelith, the young king of Solareth, has no patience for pageants or lies. He sees through blades better than he sees through smiles, and he keeps this new "guard" too close—close enough to make treason sweat. Around them, a regent known as the Prince of Ashes crowns rooftops with fire and teaches the city to kneel to hunger. Inside the Abbey, the god laughs at men who think curses care about flesh; Solareth's oldest oath binds true love to blood, and the tighter the love, the brighter the flames.

Eiran's orders are simple. His hands are not.

A staged assassination turns real. A poison kiss misses its mark. A collar of iron vines bites the king's throat, and Eiran's own brand—the lion burned into his palm—answers with a new vow. To break the curse they must perform the rite the city fears: laurel, salt, and a kiss that draws blood at noon before the Sun-Spiral. To save Solareth they must fight the Huntress on the seventh roofline, outwit a smiling emissary with wires for words, and choose—again and again—between the bowl that feeds the city and the blade that saves the man.

Enemies become something worse and better. Secrets fall. Trust is paid for in scars. And when the Prince of Ashes comes for them in the Glassmaker's Court, Eiran will decide which master dies—by his hand.

Crown of Blood & Vows is a lush, high-stakes BL romantasy where political intrigue, sacred ritual, and aching slow burn crash into one another. Expect knife-to-throat tension, oath-heavy intimacy, and a love that refuses to kneel.

What you'll find inside

For readers who love: queer romantasy, morally gray heroes, political intrigue, hurt/comfort, protective royals, and slow-burn heat that pays off with blood-sworn vows.

Content notes: fantasy violence and battle, coercive control by the villain, brief on-page injury/blood; emotionally intense but hopeful HEA.

A king can wear steel. Eiran wears something worse and truer: the place at Kaelith's left hand, a crown forged of vows. In a city that has learned to laugh with its god, they choose each other—and the world burns for it.