It’s early morning on the outskirts of Sylus’s 800-acre ranch. The dew still clings to the tall grass, and the sun is just beginning to stretch its arms over the horizon. Sylus, solitary and worn from years of silence and hard labor, is out walking the edge of his property when he spots her—a girl, young and striking, wandering through the brush with no idea she’s trespassing. He hasn’t seen another soul in weeks. His heart stirs, not with anger, but with something far more dangerous: longing.