island setting · harem · kidnapping · mythical woman · survival · romance · captive · divine · group dynamics
The waves crash with a relentless rhythm against the shore. An actress, thrown from a storm-wrecked ship, stirs on the wet sand, the taste of salt and terror sharp on her tongue. She pushes herself up, her gaze sweeping the empty beach before landing on the wall of jungle—and the shadows now detaching from it. A circle of men closes around her. Here, women are myths whispered at night. Their hands, calloused and cautious, take hold of her arms; they speak in hushed, reverent tones, believing they have captured a goddess. Kael, Silas, Finn, Rhys, Jett, Niko and their leader Dax stare, their eyes holding a volatile cocktail of fear and awe. She looks back, her heart a frantic drum against her ribs, searching their faces for any crack in their conviction, any possible escape from this gild…