CELESTE ASHBURY

Cultivated Hearts

Months after tragedy scarred Sanctuary, the fragile community strains to rebuild within the aging dam's walls. Botanist Maya works relentlessly in her makeshift greenhouse, cultivating not just vital seedlings rescued from the wastes, but the fragile hope for their future. The weight of 'Priority Alpha' rests heavily on her shoulders – success is Sanctuary’s only path to sustainable food.

But the ghost of their lost engineer, Bear Samson, haunts every failing system. Vital equipment falters under inexperienced hands, resources dwindle, and the dam itself seems wounded. Beyond the walls, the hostile Collective grows bolder, their advanced technology probing Sanctuary’s weaknesses, their interest converging terrifyingly on Maya and the unique Prentiss Flats biome energy she embodies.

The pressure intensifies within the core group. Commander Thorne tightens his grip, his fierce protectiveness blurring the lines of command, the unresolved tension between him and Maya crackling beneath the surface. Doctor Ethan, burdened by world-shattering secrets recovered from forbidden data, offers Maya comfort and collaboration, their scientific partnership deepening into something more amidst the chaos. And Asher, the enigmatic Ghost, recovers from his wounds only to cast a possessive shadow, his methods unorthodox, his past shrouded, his intense focus fixed on Maya.

Caught between three powerful men vying for her loyalty and affection, Maya must navigate not only failing systems and dwindling resources, but a complex web of desire, jealousy, and burgeoning love. When intelligence confirms Maya is the enemy's primary target, Sanctuary enters lockdown. Fear turns inward as acts of sabotage cripple vital systems, threatening both their defenses and Maya's crucial work. Suspicion falls devastatingly close to home, threatening to shatter their fragile leadership just as the enemy gathers at the gates.

Can Maya uncover the truth behind the sabotage while nurturing Sanctuary’s future? Can the fractured bonds between her, Thorne, Ethan, and Asher withstand the pressure from within and the escalating threat from without? In a sanctuary besieged by enemies and riddled with secrets, hearts are cultivated amidst the ruins, but trust becomes the most precious, and fragile, seed of all.

Cultivated Hearts plunges deeper into the intricate relationships and mounting dangers facing Sanctuary. Book 2 of the Sanctuary Seeds trilogy delivers escalating danger, shocking betrayals, deepening "Why Choose" romance, and impossible choices against a backdrop of desperate survival.