Page 340 of Commander’s Mate

A transport to steal.

A prison world called Julconi waiting farther ahead.

Maybe Earth somewhere beyond that.

Maybe Zared’s family.

Maybe answers none of us wanted.

For now, I was Harper Avery of Earth, mate of Commander General Zared Maktu, keeper of names, and one of the Farseek Mercenaries.

That was not the life I had planned.

Epilogue

Scarlet

I was not spying.

I was gathering intelligence.

There was a difference.

Spying sounded sneaky. Intelligence gathering sounded like something a responsible former Army woman should do when trapped on an alien warship with enormous, color-varied warriors who believed soulmates were real and apparently contagious.

Harper had Zared.

Nora had Sahvin Kazza watching her like the universe had personally delivered his future into medical intake.

Zoe was settling into her rehabilitation work with the rescued survivors and pretending she wasn't exhausted.

And me?

I was avoiding Lieutenant Commander Pyrr Avantu.

Mostly.

He made that difficult by being everywhere.

The problem was not that he was gorgeous, although he was. The problem was the way he looked at me.

I could handle lust.

Pyrr looked at me like home.

Home was dangerous.

The universe had developed a sense of humor.

I found him in the observation corridor staring at a star map.

I stopped beside him.

“You lost?”

“No.”

“Good. I’m usually the lost one.”