Touch of Ruin

For seventeen years, Juliette Ferrars has been defined by a terrifying biological curse: a single touch of her bare skin drains the life from any living soul. Locked away in a subterranean cell by the ruthless military regime known as the Reestablishment, she has accepted her isolation as a necessary penance to keep the world safe from her touch.

But her silent cage is shattered when she is abruptly moved to the luxurious upper sectors under the watch of Commander Warner, a calculating leader who sees her not as a hazard, but as a potential biological weapon. When Juliette reunites with Adam—an elite guard who possesses a unique immunity to her touch—the two execute a high-stakes escape into the toxic outer ruins. Seeking refuge in a hidden underground community known as the Sanctuary, Juliette is faced with a critical choice: flee into the quiet dead zones to hide forever, or confront her fear and learn to control her volatile power to defend the only family she has left.