For years, the Varekai and Elikai tribes have each struggled in their own ways to survive against the elements, hunger and the deadly creatures of Eden. For just as many years, they have adhered to one rule: never make contact. The resourceful Varekai are called female. And the Elikai? A mysterious, animal breed called male. When an adventurous Elikai brother is caught stealing from the enemy, a beautiful, inquisitive Varekai healer, the rules keeping the two tribes apart begin to matter less and less. Stranded together in a perilous land, a curious instinct draws Varekai and Elikai closer together than their world has ever dared. And nothing will ever be the same.

Peace has come to the Elikai and the Varekai, to man and woman, and to the tribe leaders. United as one. For now. Gone is the hope of a world beyond Eden, but gone too is the threat of war that once divided them. The new world brings the promise of family, and happiness they’ve only dreamed of. But when the force of nature bears down and the safety of the tribes is at risk, alliances shift yet again. With food running short in the face of a coming monsoon, the Varekai leader must make a decision. One that could shatter their newfound harmony. For those who do survive, desperation could inflame the embers of an old war.

It is the eve of the Longest Night. Eliza Baker and the rest of Lord Jayden's servants excitedly prepare for the lavish festival as their masters enjoy a head start on the debauchery that awaits. Eliza's madly in love with Kell, a sweet, deliciously sexy guard. Kell returns her feelings, but is striving to make himself a worthy man before he asks Eliza's father for permission to court her. To keep the Demon of Winter at bay, an offering must be made during the festival. As the event begins, Lord Kempsly informs Kell that he's offering a special sacrifice this year, and Kell must escort the girl who will offer up her maidenhood for the enjoyment of the crowd. Another guest will select the maiden, and Kell realizes to his dismay the guest is Lord Rakin, a rich and handsome rogue who has his eye on Eliza. But little do any of the men suspect the burgeoning desire the ceremony is awakening in Eliza[unknown-8230]

A new battle has begun, and the struggle to survive is not only for Eden but for the fate of all life on Earth Once divided, the Elikai and Varekai tribes have unified. Now called Kai, they’ve come to look beyond rebuilding their world to secure a life for the new Children of Eden. For the tribe leaders, there is another way to protect the future: revisit the past. In unearthing their origins as a people, in learning the truth behind the cataclysm that wiped out most of the world’s population, the few survivors will discover the very reason for their existence. They’ve never been more united—or more vulnerable to a new enemy. Their once-peaceful archipelago is now under threat from an army of outsiders with their own unfathomable purpose. The desperate families of Kai must make it back to the mainland. Before their dream of Eden mutates into a nightmare.