In 2263 A.D., the fighting between nations led to a single malevolent prime minister governing Earth—a perfect Utopia made possible by voiding the opposition and exiling the undesirables to another planet. A war changed all that. Five years later, there’s one last hope.

Chief Donovan Reese, once the leader of the largest rebellion in Earth’s history, has seen better days. Karma tends to be like that. Now a disfigured galactic bounty hunter with a gambling-addict for a business partner, and a band of wounded warriors as staff, it’s no real surprise when he’s taken captive by the Vladsets. Expecting to be killed, he’s shocked when the queen demands he wed her daughter instead. Suspicion is quick to follow. Why does the queen fear the tiny figure hidden beneath black shrouds? Why is the Intergalactic Alliance keen for the marriage to stand? And why, despite his war-weary heart, is he drawn to his mysterious bride?

In Vladnese, Celeka means Wretched. That’s how her queen mother sees her—how everyone does. That’s why she keeps herself shrouded. But it’s what she’s done to save her sister that makes her feel truly wretched. While unsure of the Chief she’s bound to, he’s her best chance of survival. Though, if he discovers what she did to save her sister, he might kill her himself.

Caught between one Queen’s struggle for power, the Intergalactic Alliance’s mechanisms, and their responsibilities to their respective worlds, they must risk everything for the chance to stay together.