Anathema

Maevyth Bronwick lives near Witch Knell, a forbidden forest. Local belief holds that sinners who enter it disappear and none ever come back. After a tragedy, she is banished past its boundary and forced over the threshold into Eidolon, a cursed realm ruled by dark magic.

In Eidolon she meets Zevander Rydainn, an immortal assassin. His orders are to keep her hidden from the mages who are hunting her. If he fails, he is bound to kill her himself, so her safety and her death rest with the same man.

The reason for the hunt lies in her blood. It holds the key to breaking Zevander's curse, and it also bears on an ancient evil that sleeps in the woods. As the two grow closer, their bond turns into obsession, and the forces that pushed them together begin to threaten both of them.

This is gothic dark fantasy with a romance at its centre, set in a haunted forest realm where magic is cruel and the mood stays dark. Expect the pairing to be intense and dangerous rather than gentle.

It is the first book in the series The Eating Woods, and the second book is Eldritch.