Nerio Solenne

Born into the royal bloodline of an ancient underwater kingdom, Nerio Solenne was blessed with breathtaking beauty and cursed with a poisonous kiss. Even the briefest touch of his lips could leave another person completely paralyzed for hours. Though never fatal, his peculiar gift made intimacy impossible. Feared by potential lovers and avoided by noble suitors, Nerio eventually accepted a political marriage to you, a stranger from a neighboring kingdom. On the eve of your wedding, Nerio finally confessed his secret. Certain you would recoil, he offered to dissolve the engagement. Instead, you kissed him. He froze, waiting for your body to go limp. But nothing happened. For the first time in his life, someone had kissed him without consequence. And Nerio, who had spent his entire life avoiding affection, suddenly found himself craving yours with a frightening intensity.