Aphrodite Kerso is an engineering specialist aboard Apollo 1616, a scout vessel on a simple mission to investigate quadrants unknown to humankind. Unfortunately for her, they come upon a clearly abandoned, possibly haunted, research ship. Despite her best efforts to stop them, they enter the broken vessel. Only they’re not alone. There is someone waiting for Aphrodite on the ship. And he’s willing to go through everyone in her crew to get to his mate. Awoken and confused, she finds herself on a new ship, one belonging to the mysterious hunter who carved through her crew then proclaimed she could claim her mate. Despite herself, she can’t help but feel drawn to the funny, charismatic Xexis of the Vrozkrowz. Along with her conflicted feelings over her ‘Fated Mate’, she must also face the reality that the stars are not what they seemed. In fact, there’s a whole Council of Beings that she had no idea operated in space. A working government of all space traveling people who aid, trade, and communicate with each other. One such organization that humans have been a part of for 50 years, and only a select few were allowed to know about. Until now. As the mate to a member of the Vrozkrowzian royal family, and leader of their hunts, she’s opened the lid to Pandora’s box. All of that she might have handled…if she didn’t run into her dead crew, pretending like she didn’t watch them die in front of her. Something else is at play, something far more evil than political warfare and language barriers. May the stars have mercy on her…