Daphne no longer has any interest in society. That's why she moved to a lighthouse off the coast of the Everglades; it's remote enough that she generally doesn't have to talk to a soul.
She wasn't expecting a soul to wash up unannounced.
Akantha is sharp, bitter, and impossible to get rid of. The sea goddess, a siren with magic in her voicebox, escaped death by tying her life force to the closest living being: Daphne. If Akantha leaves before six months have passed, she'll die. Reluctantly, Daphne allows her to stay, fixated entirely on her normal schedule of lighthouse maintenance and gardening.
Yes, she does it all mostly or entirely unclothed. It's hot in July, and she's not making changes for the sake of an unwanted guest.
But the island is smaller than Daphne thinks. She can't stay very far from Akantha—for more reasons than one. Curiosity quickly spirals into intrigue and lust, the loneliness of the island pulling deep-hidden secrets out of them both, and Daphne can't help but wonder if her self-isolation has become more harmful than helpful.
With the ghosts of failed relationships at her back, can Daphne embrace vulnerability, or will the solitude of the lighthouse reclaim her?
Part of the K!nktober anthology series, written for the prompt "God/Goddess x Exhibitionism"
Sunbleached is a 30,000-word high-heat F/F romance, with a fishfolk love interest and a focus on kink and trauma recovery. A full kink list and a list of content warnings can be found on our website or in the author's note.
