A KISS OF CYANIDE & HONEY: The Keeper and The Kept (THE VELVET CASKET #2)
SANDI WBW
He thought she was his salvation.
She was actually his poison.
Prince Kaspian Valeri is dying.
The last heir of a crumbling monarchy, he's spent years in his gilded sickroom—isolated, paranoid, and desperate for someone to stay. When the beautiful and soft‑handed Elara arrives as his new food taster, he finally finds what he's been searching for: a woman who looks at him like he matters. Like he's worth keeping.
She never leaves his side.
She nurses him through fevers.
She whispers that she loves him.
And he believes her.
But Elara has a secret.
She's not saving Kaspian.
She's keeping him.
With every cup of tea, every gentle touch, every whispered promise—she's poisoning him. Just enough to keep him weak. Just enough to keep him dependent. Just enough to ensure he can never, ever leave.
She doesn't want him dead.
She wants him forever.
When Kaspian discovers the truth—the vials, the notebook, the years of meticulous deception—he faces an impossible choice.
Turn her in and return to the lonely, loveless existence that was killing him long before the poison.
Or keep her—and keep drinking.
"I know what you are. I know what you've done. And I'm telling you to do it again."
A dark psychological romance for readers who love:
Morally black characters
Unreliable narrators
Toxic codependency as love language
Munchausen by Proxy thriller vibes
Ends that leave you breathless
Welcome to The Velvet Casket.
Where love isn't healthy.
It's necessary.
Trigger Warning: This book contains depictions of Munchausen by Proxy, psychological manipulation, and a relationship built on deliberate poisoning. It is intended for mature readers who understand that darkness can be beautiful—and that sometimes, the most romantic thing two broken people can do is destroy each other. Together.
