Thorns and Echoes by Sastri Sylvester

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer… But how do you know which is which?

A courtesan elevated to royal companion, Castien is no more than a pretty bauble for the throne. Worse, he’s a liability. A tool for the Queen’s enemies to use against her. Once already, he’s been stolen away, the story told in scars that linger on his body and his soul.
Beneath her cold exterior, Queen Anais fights for her people every day. She even fights for the right to choose her Consort. By tradition, all neighboring nations may challenge for her hand in a tournament. Castien will win, of course, even if Anais has to kill the competitors herself.
But at the dawn of the contest, the Queen is found poisoned in her bed. The courtesan has fled to the heart of the enemy – and the hands of his tormentors. When Anais recovers, despite all the proof to the contrary, her faith in Castien is unshaken. This time, she’ll rescue him herself. This time, she might just kill a Queen, start a war, and burn the world around him – so no one can hurt him again.

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Book 2 of an adult fantasy romance series with dark and explicit scenes. Content warnings include: SA, violence, death, trauma.