Every Spiral of Fate by Tahereh Mafi

Here is a summary with spoilers for Every Spiral of Fate by Tahereh Mafi

Cyrus is hiding, in pain, and very sick. He refuses to be near the woman he loves, has a blood oath to, and is supposed to marry. He is dealing with the fact that this woman, Alizeh, is also the one who is supposed to kill him, and he is not ready. But if he can delay being near her, and thus postpone the marriage, he can live that much longer, even if it is in pain.

Alizeh, the Jinn queen, is devastated that she can’t see Cyrus. She knows that if she could just be near him, his pain would stop. But after days of him shutting himself away, Alizeh has had enough. She drags Cyrus out and forces him to get ready for their wedding. While she knows Cyrus is not himself, she hopes that he can make the day go by smoothly, like he once promised. That hope quickly disappears when Cyrus is every bit as stubborn as he can be. The final straw for Alizeh comes when he denies the wedding clothes she made for him. Instead, he chooses to dress in all black, as if it is his funeral.

The wedding continues, and the people of Tulan are thrilled to have their Jinn queen back. Though Alizeh’s day keeps getting worse. Not only has Cyrus made it terrible, but Kamran has revealed that they have a spy and that they know Alizeh is looking for her magic. The three—Alizeh, Cyrus, and Kamran—decide they need to start heading out to prepare for war and to protect Alizeh’s people.

With the help of Cyrus’s dragons, the three and a few others begin their journey to the mountains of Arya. Their first stop is meeting Kamran’s mother, who is as terrible as can be. After a day of her harsh words and unreasonable demands, she insists on reading their tea leaves and reads aloud how they all will die. Meanwhile, Cyrus is having a hard time being close to Alizeh. He is still falling for her every day, and he finds that unbearable. Just as Cyrus thinks he can start distancing himself, he realizes they must pretend to be a newlywed couple and share a room. It’s torture for him to be near her, to even be close to her, so much so that he chooses to sleep on the ground by the door. The only good thing he realizes about the arrangement is that Kamran is very jealous that they are sharing a bed.

While the two are discussing their living arrangements, it turns into a fight, where Cyrus finally reveals that he doesn’t like Kamran planning a future with Alizeh when he is right there and still alive. In the heat of the moment, he admits to her that he loves her and that it hurts to watch her with Kamran.

Alizeh is still on the hunt for her magic, but trekking through the mountains doesn’t seem efficient, so she talks to Cyrus about using the dragons and making camp halfway up the mountain. While they make plans, everyone speculates about what kind of diviner’s magic Alizeh will receive, and it makes her anxious. On top of that, Kamran begins to wonder about the bargain that Cyrus and Alizeh made. He starts accusing Cyrus of certain things, and Cyrus doesn’t say a word to defend himself. Alizeh has to stand up for him, which creates a rift between her and Kamran.

Eventually, Cyrus can’t keep his secrets to himself any longer. As he starts piecing things together, he realizes he needs to share the truth. He hands Alizeh an object that will tell her if he is lying or not, and then begins his story. Alizeh realizes what will happen—it is going to kill him because he isn’t supposed to share it. But Cyrus does anyway. He tells her about the deal he made with the devil and how, when he dies or almost dies, the devil will possess his body. As he shares his story, he slowly becomes more and more paralyzed. When he is done, his frozen body shoots into the sky, and when it comes back down, his eyes open—but it’s the devil inside Cyrus’s body.

Before the rest of the group can reach him, the devil freezes everyone but Alizeh. He claims he won’t leave her alone until she gets her magic, because he plans to take it as well, just as he did Cyrus’s. While the devil talks about his plan, Alizeh secretly probes into his mind and discovers that a piece of the real Cyrus is still in there, and she needs to reach him. She does what the devil never expected—she stabs him. As the knife pierces him, he is shocked, and she tells him that he needs to leave and never return, including leaving Cyrus and her people alone, or he will endure endless torment by her hand. He agrees but vows that she will regret it, and then he leaves.

Looking at a dead Cyrus, everyone in the group begins to unfreeze and tells her that there is nothing left of him. But then Cyrus wakes up and comforts a devastated Alizeh.