Book excerpt: Fate will not be denied. Nerissa thinks she’s safe from the gods and elders who rule her village. She’s wrong. It’s only a matter of time before she is chosen to pay the ultimate price—her life. For decades, the gods have protected the small seaside village where she lives. That’s about to end. Fishermen return with empty nets, trees cease to bear fruit, and the winds whisper of an ancient curse. There’s still hope that the offering of an unmarried woman will return the gods’ favor. As the maiden sacrifice nears, Nerissa takes matters into her hands. All she needs is a husband to escape the terms of the offering. When she meets Zeer, a visiting fisherman, he sweeps her off her feet. Are her prayers truly answered? Everyone around her is keeping their own secrets, their own agendas, and there is no one left to rely on but herself. As the night ushers in a violent storm that echoes the gods’ anger, she realizes the worst is yet to come. When the first rays of dawn arrive, a knock sounds at her door, and she knows her entire world is about to turn upside down. But she won't be the only one affected.