When the war brings a young enemy soldier to the ruined palace Tabeya calls home, the truth about her past emerges, chasing her into the desert, where she must elude her vengeful guardian for the sake of her freedom and her forbidden love. ***** In her lonely tower, Tabeya dreams of the world beyond it. That world becomes real when she meets Humban, a young general from a rival kingdom who isn't afraid to ask the questions Tabeya can't face about herself. Those questions bring answers that lead them into the desert, away from the goddess who imprisoned Tabeya. Enraged at her escape, Tabeya's guardian hunts her and Humban relentlessly across the war-torn land, where the elements are vicious and survival isn't guaranteed. In the treacherous world where Tabeya finds herself, she must fight for her happy ending or let her past destroy her future with the man she was never meant to love. [[Word count: 150,000 - 200,000 words]] Content warning: this story contains themes of violence.

Ailith has had a secret crush on popular girl Holly since high school. When vampires kill everyone they ever knew, will Ailith finally get a chance to tell Holly how she feels? Who is the little boy who keeps appearing in Ailith's dreams? More importantly, will Ailith survive the rainstorm that is turning the entire world into blood-drinking monsters? *** Editor's Choice November 2020, August 2021 | Watty Paranormal Winner 2020 *** Ailith Ying is a college student whose family is turned into vampires during a toxic rainstorm. Her only hope of saving them is to find an elusive and rare medicine known as a Lumin pill. Unfortunately, she is kidnapped and taken to Miami by two of her friends who are on the run from the vampire horde. Soon, as the infection spreads across America, Ailith must find her way back to her family and save the world. **** Our world is dying. We thought the end of times would come from the plague, from disease, from war - it came from beneath the Black Waters. Cover designed by Frances Louise De Ramos