Shianne De Kock

With ninety percent of the world lost beneath endless black seas, the remnants of humanity survive among floating kingdoms, pirate fleets, and the ruins of drowned cities where ancient magic still sleeps. Isla has spent her life hidden inside a pleasure house, protected from the violent world beyond its gilded walls. But her future was decided long ago by her mother’s final promise: the Law of Surprise. When the debt is called in, only one man has the rightful claim to her—the infamous pirate captain feared across the seas. Yet the man who comes for Isla is nothing like the monster she expected. Beneath his sharp grin and dangerous reputation lies an unexpected kindness that makes her question everything she’s been taught to fear. But claiming Isla places a target on both their backs. The prince of the drowned kingdom is cruel, obsessive, and furious that something so valuable belongs to another man. Determined to take Isla for himself, he drags her into a deadly game of power, blood magic, and royal corruption. Caught between them is the captain’s first mate: silent, lethal, and fiercely possessive. His loyalty to the captain should keep him at a distance, but the way he watches Isla promises something far more dangerous. As war brews across the dark waters and ancient horrors awaken beneath the sea, Isla discovers she may be the key to something far older than the promise that binds her—and the three men willing to fight for her may destroy kingdoms before they let her go.