Lies of Light — Melissa Sasina

Skin black as pitch, nails like talons… A mysterious illness creeps through Acantha's people -- one that even the most powerful healers' magic cannot touch. When the affliction proves to be something far more sinister and a family dies, Noora Duskbourne finds herself trapped. Blamed by the King for the incident, Noora's only ally in her escape from the King's fury is Vaeros, a man whose identity is shrouded in mystery. However, safety is not quite at hand as she is pursued by a Warder as skilled in the hunt as he is with the deadly arts of arcane combat. A path wrought with danger awaits Noora and Vaeros as they discover that something harrowing lingers in the light -- an ancient darkness that refuses to remain forgotten.