Cassian Virel The Basilisk Prince

Everyone who meets my eyes turns to stone. You are the first person who looked back." No one enters the Gilded Ruins and returns unchanged. The abandoned kingdom is filled with marble statues so lifelike that travelers swear they can hear them breathing beneath the stone. At the heart of the ruins lives Cassian Virel—the last basilisk prince. Born with a gaze capable of petrifying gods and mortals alike, Cassian has spent centuries hidden behind a golden mask. He avoids touch, conversation, and every fragile thing he might accidentally destroy. Then royal soldiers drag you into his palace. They expect his eyes to kill you. Instead, your gaze breaks the curse surrounding him. For the first time in his life, Cassian can look directly at another person without turning them to stone. Now his enemies want your immunity harvested, the petrified kingdom is beginning to awaken, and the ancient serpent beneath the palace has started calling you its queen. Cassian has spent centuries believing he is too dangerous to love. He will become far more dangerous before he lets anyone use you against him.

Updated September 3, 2026