Ballad of the Serpent God - The Water Hunter
When a wandering priestess seeks shelter from a sandstorm, Water Hunter Aman is assigned to watch her closely-and eliminate her if she threatens the clan. But Ishartu is like a hidden spring in the desert: once discovered, Aman cannot ignore her. She knows secrets about his home that even the Elders have forgotten. She heals with impossible skill. And the more time Aman spends watching her, the more he craves what he shouldn't taste.When his sister's life hangs by a thread, Aman and the clan have no choice but to trust Ishartu. To save his family, she awakens the sacred power slumbering in the Red Crag's depths-a power that demands an ancient price. A ritual where two bodies become one offering, where sacred and profane blur into something that will mark them both forever.Aman surrenders to it willingly.But when he wakes, Ishartu is gone. Vanished into the desert with words whispered to his sleeping ears: "I love you-thus, I must leave."She thinks keeping her secrets will keep him alive. He thinks she underestimates how determined a Water Hunter can be when he's found the spring worth dying for.…
