Her mother's people are renowned for their sensuality, but can her human side go along when she must seduce a man to survive? Orphaned in New Seattle, Earth II, with only his older brothers between him and the human and alien predators prowling the rough docks, Creed Stark grew into a man with one burning desire—never to cede control of his body or emotions to any living being. Joining a sect of fighting monks, he lived a life of physical control and chastity, until the wild planet of Frontiera called to him to come and mine her treasures. Now he’s a wealthy man, but still trapped in the solitary life of a frontier miner. That is, until his eldest brother, space magnate Logan Stark sends him a living gift. She’s a concubine, skilled in the art of seduction and giving a man pleasure beyond his wildest dreams ... or is she? Half-Serpentian or not, in the crime-ridden streets of New Seattle, Earth II, Taara Ravel can’t defend her quirky cousin and herself against an enemy they can’t even see. Then Stark agrees to whisk them away to safety on the new planet of Frontiera—but only for a high price. One the lovely blonde will have to pay with her body.