When I decided to take a mate, I never considered falling in love with her. JENNA: I’ve always been more comfortable underground than above it, so when I’m asked to travel to the alien planet Vandruk to help open a mysterious cave, it feels like just another expedition—albeit a strange one. Sure, the planet is breathtaking, and the Vandruk men are… mind-bending, but I’m a scientist first. No matter how handsome those alien barbarians are, I have a job to do. Until I lay eyes on Dzar-Ghan. He’s everything I always kept away from—tall, imposing, strong, commanding, yet with a quiet intensity that draws me in. He’s tasked with guiding me to the cave, but the more time we spend together, the more I realize there’s something deeper beneath his stern exterior. But as we near the cave, I can't shake the feeling that things aren't what they appear to be and my bosses haven't been entirely truthful with me. The secrets of this world start to unravel, and I discover that I might be at the center of a conflict far bigger than I ever imagined. For ten years, the souls of Vandruk’s lost women have haunted me, their voices trapped in the darkness of the cave that collapsed when the humans opened their cursed wormhole. Among them is my first wife, and though her memory should have faded, it lingers like a scar that will never heal. Now, my people need heirs, and with Vandruk’s women gone, the only option left is mating with a human. The very thought repulses me, humans are the enemy—until I meet Jenna. She’s not what I expected—she's clumsy and adorable. Her eyes take Vandruk in with a light I haven't felt in a long time. Much is at stake, from a looming war with the humans, to a conspiracy that could shake the very core of Vandruk at a time where we are at our most vulnerable. Yet as we journey deeper into the wilds of Vandruk, the woman I intended to use becomes the one I can’t live without. But with secrets between us and the ghosts of our pasts rising to the surface, will we survive what’s waiting in the dark?