Till Death by Miranda Lyn

The world of Requiem was ravaged by war and forsaken by the gods until Death intervened. To save the suffering people, he granted each soul a hundred years of immortality. With this gift, he sent two Maidens: one of Life, to bring healing and comfort, and one of Death, the only being with the power to kill.

Years later, we meet Deyanira, Death’s Maiden. She’s become highly skilled at her role, able to track her victims and kill without drawing much attention. But her dual identity as both princess and Death’s Maiden often causes internal conflict. When she refrains from killing for too long, Death’s magic builds up inside her, demanding to be appeased. After completing a recent task, she returns home, where her responsibilities as a princess await. Trained by her father from a young age to be a weapon for his political aims, Deyanira ultimately answers only to Death. Her father uses her for his own purposes, sending her to do his dirty work. During their reunion, he brings up her first kill, her mother, a wound that still haunts Deyanira, and one he bitterly resents her for. He also reminds her that the Life Maiden has been missing for some time, leading many to blame Deyanira for the world's imbalance. As a solution, he proposes a political marriage, hoping it will win public favor and bring peace. The wedding is set for just days away.

As preparations unfold, Deyanira still hasn’t met the king she is to marry. The night before the wedding, a man sneaks into her room, introducing himself as Orin, the very king she’s meant to wed. He teases her, but insists he wants their marriage to be real. To ensure it starts on their own terms, he proposes a secret ceremony that night. Deyanira agrees, and the two marry in secret. He returns her to her chambers with a promise to see her in the morning.

At the public wedding, Deyanira is given a thick veil, unable to see clearly. As she reaches the altar and begins her vows, a commotion erupts. She declares the ceremony invalid—she’s already married. But when she lifts the veil, the man before her isn’t Orin. He tricked her. Furious, her father disowns her on the spot, declaring she is no longer an heir. In the chaos, her powers spiral out of control and she kills him then blacks out.

When Deyanira wakes, she’s been stabbed and locked in a room. Orin appears, helps tend to her wounds, but also tells her he hates her. She’s responsible for the deaths of many he cared about. Before she can grasp the full weight of his words, she passes out again. When she wakes next, she escapes and seeks refuge in a brothel where her only friend works, Roe, but Orin finds her again.

Over time, Deyanira becomes entangled in the lives of Orin’s friends. She learns that Orin is bound by a bargain with a powerful figure known as the Maestro, who stages nightly performances for the people. Everyone who works for him has made a deal, and Orin’s was to marry Deyanira. Though the mission came from Maestro, Orin insists he didn’t want it. Because he failed to complete his task, Maestro punishes him by forcing him into brutal fights in the arena. One night, Orin returns severely wounded, and worse, one of the children they care for has been taken. Deyanira volunteers to help with the rescue, which leads them to her former castle, and a confrontation with the king she was originally supposed to marry.

Despite his injuries, Orin sneaks out to visit Roe. Deyanira follows and is hurt to learn Roe knew Orin. While fleeing, she accidentally stumbles into a tunnel that seals behind her and Orin—another of Maestro’s traps. Trapped for a day, their bond deepens before they’re rescued.

Back at the house, Deyanira discovers Orin sacrificed his remaining years to Maestro in exchange for her safety. She’s shaken, but they grow closer. Orin confesses he has feelings for her, though he doesn’t believe they should act on them.

Determined to free him, Deyanira offers Maestro a deal: she’ll perform in three shows under her own terms. If she succeeds, Orin goes free. Maestro agrees. Her first performance is a dance and goes well, though it reveals her bargain to Orin. The second night, they dance together, drawing them even closer. But the third night is catastrophic. Maestro publicizes the show, alerting the king to her location. Before her act, she is forced to watch Orin dance intimately with another girl. Then, she is ordered to kill one of their friends on stage. With no other option, she does. Devastated, she collapses in guilt. Orin tries to console her, but her self-loathing runs deep.

Later, she follows Orin back to Roe, and painful truths emerge. Orin reveals that he possesses a kind of death magic, not as a Maiden, but a curse that compels him to kill. Originally, he planned to kill Deyanira, as his magic urged him to. But when he first touched her, the compulsion vanished. Curious and desperate, he changed his plan and told his friends who she really was. Feeling betrayed and objectified, Deyanira runs straight into the hands of the king.

Held prisoner, Deyanira’s magic begins to surface under pressure. The king tries to manipulate her into killing. But as she resists, she feels something strange: life magic stirring inside her. Before she can explore it further, Orin crashes in. Together, they kill the king but Deyanira collapses again.

When she wakes, her friends surround her, revealing their own secrets in an attempt to welcome her fully into their found family. Orin arrives and apologizes once more. To show his sincerity, he proposes again, saying he’ll wait until midnight for her decision. She meets him, and they remarry, spending an intimate night together.

That night, Death visits her in a dream, furious at her marriage. He demands to know her husband’s name. When she speaks it, Orin’s name appears on her hand, the next soul she must kill. Terrified, she turns to her friends. They agree to lock her in a temple to ride out the magic's torment. The agony is brief, however, as Orin soon comes for her. In the chaos of their confrontation, Death arrives, easing her madness. Then he turns to Orin and claims to be his father before taking him away.

Deyanira shares what happened with the group, and they turn to Roe. She reveals the tragic truth: she was once in love with Death. When he lost her, it broke him. She’s been hiding ever since. She also tells them how to reach Death’s realm, and confirms what Deyanira has long suspected; she is both the Death and Life Maiden.

In Death’s realm, Deyanira finds Orin, now consumed by his magic and barely recognizable. She waits for a moment alone and touches him and her touch breaks the madness. But just as Orin returns to himself, Death arrives and seizes Deyanira, forcing her to name every soul she’s ever killed as he whips her. Watching in horror, Orin finally snaps. He grabs a dagger, kills Death, and declares himself ready to take on his father’s role.

Months later, Orin and Deyanira are at peace. They’ve repaired the damage left by Death, helping lost souls move on and ensuring the living are given a fair chance. Together, they’ve rewritten their fates and the future of Requiem.