Catalyst - Astoran Asunder, #2

A suspenseful romantic fantasy. Contains some mature content. Xaran Ridgeford is on the cusp of a discovery that could have cataclysmic repercussions for the realm. Concerned about how deeply beholden to the trade Houses his House has become, he's determined to go to extreme lengths to protect the secrecy of his research. Unable to shake the conviction that there was more to her brother's death than she was told, Aderyn Silverin left their mercenary company and has spent years wandering aimlessly, trying to erase her past.
A chance meeting in the city leads Xaran to hire Aderyn to help him get his research into secure hands. But her help comes with a price: information about her brother's mission for Xaran's House, the mission that got him killed. As Xaran and Aderyn work to untangle the web and reveal the truth, they start to realize that their only hope may rest in one another.