Venomous

Venomous, the second book in Nicole M. Rubino's Monstrous series, picks up months after the brutal end of Rhi's first year at Alystair University. She's haunted by nightmares that blur the line between dreaming and waking, and by the friends she failed to protect. Believing distance is the only way to keep Nick safe, Rhi lets him go — but her plan backfires when Nick's own inner monster starts to surface, turning what was love into open conflict between them.

To save Nick from being consumed by what he's becoming, Rhi strikes a perilous bargain with three powerful entities. The deal pulls her into the Underworld, a prison ruled by vicious beings, where only one monstrous creature holds the key to fulfilling her end of the deal. As Nick unravels, so does Rhi, wrestling with monstrous urges of her own that once terrified her and may now be the only thing that can save him.

The book continues the series' dark fantasy academy setting, escalating the stakes between Rhi and Nick as an external threat forces Rhi toward an impossible choice: suppress the monster inside her to keep her friends safe, or unleash it and risk destroying everything to save the person she loves.