The first novel in the Fortusian Mates series!Deep space fighter pilot Calla Wren survived a hellish childhood and fought to earn her wings in the Alliance Defense. After a battle with mercenaries leaves her ship badly damaged, Calla crashes on the storm-ravaged moon Iosa. Badly injured with no way to call for help, she and her ship fall into the hands of bloodthirsty raiders.Plagued by memories and nightmares, former elite assassin Vos Turek retired to a new, quiet life on Iosa, searching for peace in the depths of its lavender seas. His hard-won safe haven is threatened when an Alliance Defense fighter crashes into the ocean nearby. Logic and caution tell Vos to leave the badly injured human pilot to her fate, but the moment he catches her scent, he knows he can’t let her die. The gods have sent him his true mate—if he can rescue her from the raiders and save her life.As fiercely independent Calla recovers in Vos's care, they find kinship over their traumatic pasts. Despite Calla's deep mistrust of Vos and her determination to reenlist in the Defense for the bonus that would give her true freedom, they are drawn together by a connection deeper than the power of the true mate bond. But when a vicious, vengeful adversary tracks them to Iosa, Calla and Vos must confront the very real ghosts of their pasts and find a way not only to survive, but to heal.Visit the author's website for content notes.

Publication Year: 2025