It’s been 80 years since the human race was rescued by the Galactic Collaboration from their dying Earth and dropped on a bleak moon at the edge of civilized space and told to do better. Raised on New Earth, Persephone Marx has never seen the world her grandmother grew up in, never experienced the oceans and forests told about in her grandmother’s stories of Lost Earth. But that’s going to change. Just before her grandmother died, Persephone made a promise: to bring her grandmother’s ashes home to the stars she knew as a girl. Having been raised by her grandmother after the accidental death of her parents, an accident Persephone caused, she will do anything to keep that promise, even if it means breaking galactic law, commandeering a spaceship, and blackmailing a pirate who just happens to belong to one of the most fearsome and powerful alien races in the universe. In the Hunerae Empire, a soldier is expected to give everything. Dying is the greatest honor you can perform for your people. Captain Zohail gave an eye, a wing, and enough blood to have died several times over. Which is why when the empire asked for that final, ultimate sacrifice, he deserted instead. Better to be a wanted man than a dead one. Life as a pirate smuggling contraband melvitae across galaxies is simple and straightforward for him and his small crew. It may not be perfect but it’s enough. Until the day a small, purple-haired human sneaks her way onto his ship. She threatens to send evidence to the Galactic Collaboration about their smuggling activities unless he agrees to do the impossible and take her to Lost Earth. The journey will be long and challenging, but even more challenging is the close proximity between Persephone and the Captain. From the moment they meet, the two feel the buzz of attraction but space is dangerous, especially for humans who aren’t recognized as Civilized Members of the Collaboration. For Zohail, who was bred to be a soldier, danger is not a deterrent when it comes to pursuing the lovely Persephone but Persephone was born and raised to be a mechanic. Even as the two of them grow closer, she knows that some parts just aren’t meant to fit together and trying to force it will only make the inevitable breakdown worse. As Persephone and Zohail cross the stars together and the danger chasing them draws closer, Persephone will have to choose: the world she always dreamed of or a love she never dreamed could exist.