Alex is trapped. His life has been one bad decision after the other, and now he's forced to work off his debt with a spaceship captain or risk a fate worse than death. Captain Tracht is respected and well-connected. Unfortunately, he also has some very questionable private interests, and makes no secret that he intends Alex to participate in them, whether he likes it or not. It's an experience of pain, humiliation, and tears, but somehow Alex finds himself growing less and less interested in his eventual release...

During what should have been a boring family affair, Alex is kidnapped while trying to protect Tracht’s nephew. With Tracht’s sister concentrating on getting her son back, nobody is thinking about Alex—except Tracht, who will stop at nothing to get him back. This 20k short story continues the story of Alex and Tracht from "Under His Heel."

Agreeing to transport goods for a notorious crime syndicate isn’t the best choice Tracht had ever made, but reneging on that deal could have dire consequences for him. When it all goes sour, it’s up to Alex to pull Tracht out of the fire. Word Count: ~57,000

Alex's five-year contract with Tracht is almost up, and neither of them is sure how things will proceed from here. Without the constraints of the contract, Alex is technically free to do whatever he wants. There's nothing forcing him to stay with Tracht, or forcing Tracht to keep him. They're in a holding pattern, until they're both pulled into a corruption trial that forces them to face a few ugly truths about Tracht's past and what it means for their relationship. Can their relationship survive when they're no longer legally bound to each other? This is book 4 in the Under His Heel series and cannot be read as a standalone. Please note this work and series contains dark themes; read at your own discretion.