In sixteenth century Central America, the goddess La Bella Dama witnessed the explosion of a slave ship off the coast. Hundreds of years later, she's still running from what she did in the aftermath. A rare moment of softness for some of the nearly dead compelled her to make a deal with the devilish fallen angel responsible for the disaster.
The women got a second chance, but now their descendents have caught up to her and want her to mend her sloppy work. And if she doesn't? She and her little family in Maria will never have another moment of rest. She's no longer a creature who wants to be worshiped. She'll never be normal, but as Lola Perez, she enjoys the peace of blending in.
Her long-ago collaborator Tarik thinks satisfying the angriest amongst the women in El Culto will be simple enough—just give them a little more magic and let them rejoin their sisters in Mexico. But Tarik's going to have to fix quell the uproar on his own. Lola decided a long time ago that there's comfort in the status quo. That's why she's been refusing his advances for the past five hundred years. They get along like fire and gasoline, and he's the only creature she's ever encountered who can make her heart race.
While they may be uniquely equipped to withstand each other's heat, Lola's not ready to commit to him. She was humiliated by a lover once before and proved there's nothing more reckless than a goddess scorned.